Finding Severus
by Ladya C. Maxine
Summary: Severus is the least popular student at Hogwarts. Teased and beaten up, he has no friends to speak of. Will that change when exchange student Lucius Malfoy comes to Hogwarts? ON HIATUS
1. The New Student

Title: Finding Severus

Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: T

Warnings: language, violence, mild slash

Summary: Severus Snape is the class loser at Hogwarts. Shunned or taunted, especially by James Potter and his friends, he keeps to himself and his schoolwork. But will that all change when exchange student Lucius Malfoy comes to Hogwarts?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and write only to amuse.

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**Finding Severus**

by Ladya C. Maxine

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He reread the last sentence before putting down his quill, finally satisfied with his work. Neatly rolling up the scroll and tying it with a black string, he placed it on the corner of his desk and folded his arms in waiting. Outside in the corridor he could hear the enthusiastic chatter of the other students as they came out of the Great Hall, separating into smaller groups and heading for their respective classes.

Looking around the still empty class, Severus strummed his fingers on his arm as he patiently waited for the bell to ring and for class to start. He had been in here for the past half hour, checking and re-checking his assignment, changing last minute things and making sure the fact were 110 correct.

Professor Syntrad was a stickler for discipline and perfection. The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was his utmost favourite professor. Kind and humorous were probably not the best words to describe the ghostly pale man, but he was one of the greatest Hogwarts had ever seen in a very long time.

And he favoured Severus. He always told him that he saw his own spirit in him and would always have errands for Severus to carry out which he did enthusiastically. Of course, that had earned him the everlasting taunts of Teacher's pet and Brown-nose, but he was used to the name calling so a couple extra didn't really matter. This way he felt that people at least knew he existed.

He was the average height of a sixth-grader though also very thin and pale. His shoulder length hair always hung limp and lifeless around his face, many times falling before his eyes. Dark eyes, almost black, that peered out of a pale face above a somewhat long and crooked nose and thin lips. Needless to say, he was not the most popular student at Hogwarts, unless popularity meant being teased endlessly. Because he isolated himself so much even his fellow Slytherins usually walked past him without so much as a 'hello'.

And it was all the fault of three students; three teens that had targeted him since he stepped onto the Hogwarts Express to begin his first year at Hogwarts. How or why they choose to pester him he didn't know but his first year had been filled with nothing but humiliation and he had been branded the school's number one loser. Four similar years had followed the same way and now, at the beginning of his sixth year, he doubted anything would change.

The door of the classroom opened and he scowled to see who it was.

'Couldn't they at least give me till noon?'

Three grinning faces watched him maliciously as they entered. Dropping their satchels carelessly on their desks, they walked over and sat down around him, hovering about like three vultures waiting for their meal to take its last breath. The fourth member of the group remained behind, merely taking his seat, absorbed in a heavy volume.

"Well, well, well, Snivellus Snape. Fancy seeing you here so early in the morn," James Potter smirked as he played with the ever-present snitch, showing off his Seeker reflexes as he effortlessly grabbed the buzzing gold ball out of the air only to release it only to snatch it again. The little rat Wormtail watched him with hero-worship.

"What have you been up to?" Sirius Black asked though his eyes were fixed on the scroll sitting on the desk. Before Severus could react, he reached out and snatched it, putting some serious crinkles and dents in the once flawless parchment.

Making a sound of objection, Severus started to rise from his seat but James simply shoved him back down by the shoulder, smirking as he watched Sirius unroll the parchment and cleared his throat.

"25 Incantations To Kill..." An evil smile crept across the handsome face and he repeated himself, this time louder, "25 incantations To Kill A Werewolf. Hey Lupin, interesting huh?"

Remus Lupin gifted his friend with an exasperated look but otherwise remained unmoved, intently reading the book on the desk before him.

Sirius went on anyways.

"Werewolf blood has been used for many centuries in potions and spells, whether to simply cure a common cough or to rid a haunted house of poltergeists and vermin's." Wormtail wriggled indignantly at this. "Yet werewolves themselves are one of our world's greatest banes. Ruthless and sneaky, they kill and spread like infectious plagues..."

He made a face to emphasise 'infectious', much to James' and Wormtail's delight.

As he read on Severus saw Lupin stiffen at each word though the docile teen didn't do or say anything. In all the long and gruelling years he knew them, Severus had never seen Lupin lose his temper. In fact, the teen was rather well-behaved, never participating in any of his friends' infamous pranks though he was always ready to talk them out of trouble as best he could with his calm voice and quick mind.

Wormtail was actually somewhat of a groupie; hanging around them, acting tough though he scampered behind James or Sirius the moment trouble arose. If anything, the only real trouble-makers of the group were James and Sirius. Two best friends, very popular in school, admirably good students. They had it going for them, and knew it. James was a show-off because he was Gryffindor's Quidditch team's Seeker. Sirius was a show-off because he was simply handsome and flirty. And if there was one person they loved to flaunt their good fortunes at it was Severus, who everyone knew would never reach their level on the social ladder.

'I'll never even make it to the first wrung,' he though miserably, coming out of his self-pitying as Sirius finished a paragraph with a flourished gesture.

James was snickering as Sirius read with flamboyance. Wormtail laughed nervously, stopping when James did and starting when James did. It was quite sickening to watch the little rat grovel so openly at Potter's feet.

A shimmer of luck shone on him, finally, as professor Syntrad entered. He was a tall man with balding black hair. A long tuff of hair sprouted from his chin that he plaited everyday. Dressed in dark red and black he looked somewhat feral and all first- and second-graders feared him. Severus was sure that the higher graders did too but no one would ever admit it.

Setting his black satchel on his desk, he first nodded his greeting to Lupin and then turned his brownish-red eyes onto the four teens, eyes narrowing at the Gryffindors.

"What did I say to you the first day of school, Mister Black?"

"No foolish behaviour once we've stepped over the threshold, sir," Sirius said with a hint of a growl but he kept him temper in check. He was the class troublemaker, of course, along with James, but he knew that Syntrad took bull from no one and the punishment for anyone who attempted to change that was agonizing.

No writing lines or cleaning floors for misbehaving students for Syntrad, oh no. His method was sneaky and very effective.

The day he had placed an anti-sleeping charm on Sirius when he had nodded off in class Sirius had laughed at it. A week later he was no longer laughing. His eyes had been bloodshot and his muscles had ached as if on fire with each move he made, begging for him to rest but he couldn't. Sleep refused to come to him and simply lying down did nothing to ease it.

Still, he was grateful that it had not been an Anorexia charm like the one their DADA teacher had placed on a podgy Ravenclaw who he had caught eating in his class. Every time afterwards if the student placed so much as a breadcrumb in his mouth he would vomit it back up at once. It had been a very unpleasant experience for the student and all those around him. Luckily, Headmaster Dumbledore had lifted it after a few days.

"Take your seats, now," Syntrad hissed and the three Gryffindors obeyed immediately. Sirius scowled at Severus as he half dropped, half threw the scroll at the greasy-haired boy. James had found the whole thing amusing, chuckling as he sauntered back to his desk, Wormtail following closely.

The bell rang and the rest of the students entered; the red and gold of the Gryffindors contrasting with the green and silver of the Slytherins. Their animated conversation broke off with the loud crack of Syntrad's ruler making contact with his desk.

"Sit down and shut up." There was a rustle as everyone hurried to comply. "Have your assignments ready. When I call your name you will bring it to my desk."

As he called up the students one by one Severus tried to get the wrinkles from his scroll in a hurried attempt to make it presentable again. Glancing up to glare at them occasionally he secretly envied their friendship to each other.

Well, Wormtail was more of a hanger-on, but James, Sirius and Remus were as close as brothers. Right now the two former whispered to each other softly, turning to watch him for some seconds before turning back to whisper more eagerly.

Yup, they were planning his downfall. The reason completely absurd, but they didn't care. Any excuse was a good enough excuse to pick on him.

"Snape Severus," Syntrad's voice called up.

Grumbling softly, he was forced to settle with what remained of his once perfect assignment and he tied the ribbon back on it as he stood. Striding quickly to the professor's desk, he released a soft breath of relief when no one stuck their foot out to trip him or stuck something on his back.

His relief was short-lived when his foot suddenly jerked and he tumbled forward in an ungraceful heap, landing with a loud "Oof!"

While the entire class, including the Slytherins, cracked up with laugher he looked up to see Sirius holding his wand beneath his desk, a smirking look of satisfaction on his pale face. Potter had his head back, roaring with laugher while the little rat squealed. The only person, next to Syntrad, who wasn't laughing was Lupin who gave Severus a pitying look. He softly said something somewhat of chastising to Sirius who merely shrugged it off, still grinning triumphantly as he high-fived James.

"That was uncalled for, Mister Black," a calm voice said from the door and everyone, including the three pestering Gryffindors, fell silent to see Headmaster Albus Dumbledore standing there, a faint frown on his bearded face. "I expect more from my elder students."

Smiling sheepishly, Sirius placed his wand back in his bag. Dumbledore turned to Severus who had loosened his knotted shoelaces, which Sirius had tied into a large rat's nest with some spell. The old wizard's soft eyes asked him if he was okay and he nodded softly, feeling even more humiliated to have the head of the school witness his fall from non-existing grace.

"Good day, Headmaster Dumbledore. Is there anything I can do for you?" Syntrad stood from his desk, giving Sirius a glare that said "A word with you after class" and came to stand next to Severus, who stepped away to allow both professors to speak privately though Dumbledore had other ideas.

"As a matter of fact, there is something that all of you present, especially those of the Slytherin house, can do."

He turned to address the students who listened respectfully.

Rubbing his sore elbows, Severus scowled at James and Sirius who lounged uncaringly in their chairs with their feet on the desk. At least Remus was paying attention. Wormtail was listening half-eared, watching Potter to make sure he didn't miss any 'wonderful' things the bespectacled teen would do.

Dumbledore didn't seem to mind as he went on.

"We have a new student who has just transferred here. He has already been sorted in my office and the Sorting Hat has placed him in Slytherin. "

A small cheer came from those of that house.

"I ask of you all to welcome him and make him feel at home here at Hogwarts."

He fell silent and they all nodded their agreements, some leaning over their desk to try and the see the newcomer.

"Glad to know that. Class, I want you to meet Lucius Malfoy."

He turned towards the door and all heads turned with him.

All whispers fell silent as Lucius stepped into the class. Several people exhaled loudly and Severus swore he heard a low whistle from Sirius. Severus himself could do no more than gape.

Standing tall and proud, dressed in the black, green and silver robes of the House of Slytherin, was a teen of such regal bearing that he could have been royalty. Stance perfect and shoulders proud, Lucius looked around the class with calm, green-blue eyes so vibrant that they were almost blinding. His face was a masterpiece carved in marbled ivory with not a single trace of imperfection. Shining, white-blond hair was held back in a loose ponytail by a black ribbon, leaving the silky locks to flow down his back.

Syntrad broke the silence and held out his hand.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, mister Malfoy. I am professor Sedan Syntrad, your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," Lucius answered in a soft but assured voice as he shook the offered hand. "I have always held a fascination with this subject and I am sure that I will be most looking forward to your lessons."

Severus shifted slightly from where he stood behind Syntrad and the aqua eyes locked on him almost immediately. Something in them was haunting yet mystifying at the same time and Severus found himself freezing, unable to even think.

"I leave him in your hands then, Sedan," Dumbledore said, "Good day to you all and we shall meet again at dinner tonight in the Great Hall."

With a nod he turned and headed out the door, his long robes gliding behind him.

"If you will please take a seat, mister Malfoy," Syntrad motioned to the empty desk in the first row…the one right next to Severus'!

"Thank you, sir."

Breaking off the stare, he walked around them both and took his seat. The other students had yet to blink and some in his vicinity blushed when he made eye-contact with them. Whether used to being goggled at or simply not noticing it, Lucius calmly took out his books and sat back in his seat, waiting for the class to begin.

"Until I have collected your papers you will all turn to Vexing Hexes volume two, chapter three, paragraph twelve. I want notes at least one foot long and they are to be turned in at the end of the lessons. And I mean all of you," Syntrad growled pointedly and Severus glanced over to see his tormentors studying Lucius from across the room.

Sirius was practically drooling and even Potter was more than mildly impressed though something resembling jealousy flickered behind the glasses. Lupin had actually torn his eyes off the page of his book to give the newcomer one look over before returning to his notes; a rare experience since usually nothing could take Lupin's mind off his literature. Reluctantly, the others turned their gaze away they began reading the thick book that was almost the size of the entire desk.

"Your assignment, mister Snape," Syntrad's voice startled him as the teacher now stood directly before of him.

He handed in the crumpled paper. Syntrad raised a brow at the unusual shabby state of the teen's work but remained silent, having witness how it was the paper had gotten into this condition.

"Thank you, mister Snape."

The professor then called another name but Severus didn't hear who as he slowly made his way to his desk, trying his best not to look like a brain-dead house-elf as he took his seat. Fumbling with his satchel, he managed to retrieve the heavy book and quickly turned to the page they were on.

For many minutes the class was silent with the exception of Syntrad's voice as he collected the homework. A pile of scrolls were already on the corner of his desk and he had yet over half the class to go. Occasionally someone would cough or sniff and once or twice there was a whisper here and there, Severus had a hint of what the subject was, but they fell silent when Syntrad snapped at them to shut up.

For his part Lucius didn't seem at all surprised by his new teacher's attitude. Newcomers usually took several days to adjust to each professor's moods but the blond sat calmly reading the page, green eyes moving slightly from left to right as he went along each sentence. He was now sitting somewhat leaning forward, resting on one arm while the other hand supported his head, a single finger extended against the side of his temple as he turned the page.

Wind from an open window blew through the room, rustling some papers and causing one of the scrolls to fall off of Syntrad's desk. A strong breeze tugged at a loose lock of hair that Lucius had behind his ear and it fell down into his face. Absently, he brushed it back and Severus heard several sighs from the female population around the room. Again, Lucius paid no attention to them.

Mentally slapping himself, Severus forced his eyes off the blond and onto his page. With much summoned discipline, he finally started to read. Again there was a long period of silence and he had just started to get absorbed in the paragraph when a light tap on his arm caused him to jump in his seat.

He turned to see that it had been Lucius. The mixed blue-green eyes looked somewhat confused at his behaviour but that soon faded.

"Forgive me for bothering you, but may I look at your notes from the previous classes?"

He could feel all eyes on him and he could feel their burn also. The left of his head felt as if it was on fire which was being thrown at him from Sirius' direction. He himself was stunned as to why Lucius would ask him. Behind the blond sat a girl who was already grabbing frantically at her bag and was withdrawing all of her own ruffled notes.

'Answer him! Surely you don't want him to think you a loser on his first day here, do you?' his inner voiced reasoned and he complied.

"It is no problem," he said quietly and handed over his leather binder which held all his notes in order, starting from the most recent and dating back.

"Thank you," Lucius accepted the binder...and smiled! It was a small smile but the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his life. He heard at least three girls squeal and someone dropped their book.

Watching nervously as the blond opened the binder he felt like he was letting one of the magic world's greatest wizards evaluate a paper of his. He worried his hands together, waiting to see what Lucius would think of his work.

The blond said nothing but as he read Severus could see him nodding faintly at certain things and copying them. As he sorted through the papers he pulled out a single sheet and a brow rose, impressed at the O, for Outstanding, on the top of the OWL Severus had taken last year for Potions.

"Not bad," he said softly, more to himself than to Severus, but it was a compliment nonetheless.

Feeling unusually proud, Severus sat up straighter as he continued to read, casting side-way glances at Lucius to see what else he would react on. Something made him tickled his senses and he turned slightly to see Sirius attempting to hide glances at the blond.

One didn't need to be a genius to see that Sirius fancied their new exchange student. With his ruggedly good looks, Black had merely to wink at a girl and he'd have ten of them hanging on to him within a second. The fact that he also went out with other men was not an issue for them. He was basically Hogwarts' biggest flirt, rivalled maybe only by Gilderoy Lockhart of Hufflepuff.

The dark eyes narrowed somewhat when Lucius got Severus' attention once more.

"Thank you." He held out the binder to him and Snape nodded, trying to look calm and collected though his heart was hammering in his chest.

"Just helping a fellow Slytherin," he said and was gifted with another small smile at that.

"Indeed."

Reaching out to take the binder, his eyes locked on with the intoxicating aqua orbs. Which probably explained why he didn't see Sirius whip out his wand or hear him mutter a spell.

Suddenly, the bolts and screws of his chair sprang loose at where they had been keeping it together and he tumbled with a clatter to the floor as his desk and chair collapsed from beneath him.

Tbc...

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Aw! Poor Severus! And just when he was starting to build confidence!

I was inspired to write this after having read the chapter 'Snape's Worst Memory' because I **so** hated James and his friends for the way they treated him. Sure, they grew out of it, but imagine how long they had made fun of him and humiliated him! (Note these are my favourite Harry Potter characters are: Lucius, Snape, and Draco. So most of my fics will be centred around these three or at least have them in it.)

Do note that though this fic will contain some **one-sided** slash (possible Sirius/Lucius but at a rather mild level) it will not be a slash Severus/Lucius fic. Though his thoughts might be a bit slashy-looking it is all pure admiration. And how can it not be? I mean, just compare the two of them!

Read & Review, please.


	2. An Unlikely Friendship

Title: Finding Severus  
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine  
Rating: T  
Summary: see chapter one  
Warnings: see chapter one  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and write with the sole intention to entertain.

A/N: I repeat, this is a **not** a slash Severus/Lucius fic, but there will be some mild interaction amongst other characters in the form of remarks and maybe one or two contacts. Nothing graphic at all. Nothing deep.

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Severus was out of the class before the bell even stopped ringing. Keeping his head bowed, he hurried out the door. He could still hear some students snickering behind him and someone called out something, a name of some sort. Not even looking up, he walked away from the jeering remarks, face as red with shame as it had been 40 minutes ago since he had picked himself up from amidst the wrecked desk and chair. The entire class had exploded with laugher for the second time that hour at his expense.

"I fear you have gained some extra pounds, Snape!"

"No, his nose weighed him down!"

"The rest of him is as greasy as his hair; he simply slipped off!"

They would have gone on forever had Syntrad not broken his ruler on the edge of his desk, eyes now more red than brown. A few more hysterical students had refused to calm down and the DADA teacher had hexed one girl who had been applauding loudly. Her hands now stuck to each other and despite her best efforts she could not unglue her palms. That had been more than convincing and they had all fallen silent.

Given any other day Severus would have simply allow them their cruel amusement, he normally wouldn't have really cared. But today was so different. Today the very image of perfection had witnessed everything and had heard all the names they had called him. The one person he had hoped...

'To be what? A friend? Lucius Malfoy, who has not even been in Hogwarts for two hours yet already his name and looks have been spread to over half the student body, would never be my friend. Even Hogwarts' most pathetic students don't want to be seen with me. Why would someone like Lucius?'

Syntrad has effortlessly repaired his desk and chair within seconds with a 'Reparo' charm. While the DADA teacher had then gone over to Sirius to give him enough punishment to last a century, plus confiscate his wand till the end of the week which was four days from now, Severus had sat back down gingerly, afraid the whole thing would cave in once more. The whispered taunts were still flowing so that only he could hear them.

_"Snivellus did it again!" _

_"Trying to improve your position in class? The floor is definitely more suitable for you!" _

_"Sirius: 2, Snivellus: 0!" _

Pretending to return to his book, he could feel the vibrant green eyes on him but he refused to meet them. He knew Lucius felt ashamed to have associated himself, even if but for a few minutes, with the class loser. He didn't want to see the clear eyes as they watched him with disgust and contempt.

Now, as he walked down the hall, shoulders hunched and face hidden by his hair, he quickly made his way outside to the courtyard and was hugely relieved to see that is was empty. Free hours were very rare in the morning and right now the rest of his class were in Divination.

Though the teacher, Mrs. Lunar, was a decent, if not eccentric, woman, he had always found that subject to be a complete fraud. The only good thing about Divination was that Potter and his cronies had it and he didn't so he was granted some respite from their tricks. Two hours, to be precise, since the schedule was double Divination classes.

Severus shivered when he realised that he now had Sirius' wrath to deal with. And though he had done him nothing, he knew that Potter would be out to get him too, claiming to avenge Sirius, just for the sake of amusement.

'All I can do is enjoy this brief peace the next class.'

Settling down beneath a large oak tree that stood in the very corner of the courtyard, its massive roots actually having lifted the courtyard's wall several feet above ground level, he took out his Transfiguration homework; a book, a notepad and his pet toad, Pewter, who he always carried in the front pocket of his satchel. The big bulbous eyes blinked at him and he smiled slightly and placed the fat amphibian on the grass.

"I'm afraid I am going to have to try and turn you into a mushroom again, my friend."

Pewter croaked and waddled onto the open book, experimentally sticking out his tongue to taste the page only to find it very unsatisfying.

"I will feed you later," Severus assured absentmindedly as he picked up the toad and read the instructions. Clearing his throat, he placed the tip of his wand between the round eyes.

"Kelvari!"

Pewter made several strange sounds before he started to tremble and shift. The warted skin turned smooth and the stickiness melted off. Soon a perfect mushroom rested in his palm. Or, near perfect anyways, as two big, bulbous eyes blinked up at him from the head of the mushroom.

Sighing, he reread the page but he had followed the instruction perfectly. It was simply a matter of concentration.

"As if I can concentrate," he muttered and, having pity on his mushroom-toad, tapped the smooth top with his wand. "Iravlek!"

Pewter crawled out of his palm and began waddling about, never straying too far. Severus leaned back against the large trunk, watching the toad in its care-free explorations. Even toads had it better than him!

Disgusted with himself for comparing himself with a frog, he grabbed his book and buried his nose in it. School work was normally all he needed to relax but today it was not helping.

A loud croak of fear brought his attention back to Pewter who had curled himself into a ball in the grass. Looming over him was a midnight black cat with bright green eyes. She sat with her head tilted to one side in curiosity as she studied this strange little thing before her. With a soft meow, she pawed at Pewter. When the toad croaked again she nudged it with her nose, sending Pewter rolling a few inches. Delighted with her newfound toy, the feline bounded after her 'bumpy ball', batting it between her paws.

"Shoo! Leave him alone!" Severus raised his wand, hex at the tip of his tongue. But before he could send the black feline into near paralysis, a smooth voice spoke up.

"Vanima, leave it alone."

Lucius emerged from the shadow of the hallway.

The paw froze in mid-air before lowering. With a loud meow, she ran over to him, jumping with a graceful arch into his arms and nestling herself comfortably there. Lucius stroked her head affectionately as he walked over.

Severus looked around nervously, trying to find a way out of this. First he had been unveiled as a total loser right before Lucius in class and now he had almost hexed the blond's cat!

Finding no way out, he sat up straighter, watching with apprehension as Lucius drew nearer. However, the blond stopped for a moment to bend down and pick up Pewter, who had yet to unroll himself. With an unreadable expression, Lucius walked over to where he was sitting and, placing the black cat on the ground, he sat down himself in a fluent movement, like a feline in fact. Holding out his elegant hand, with a quivering Pewter in the palm, he said,

"I assume this is yours?"

"Yes...yes, he is..." He slowly reached out and took the toad from Lucius.

"What's his name?" Lucius asked with a polite voice as he wiped his hand off on a handkerchief.

"Pewter."

"Nice name. Please forgive Vanima." He motioned to the black cat that was nosily sniffing Severus' bag and school supplies. "She tends to cross many boundaries. She wouldn't hurt a fly though."

"Okay." He didn't know what Lucius had expected him to say and bit his tongue nervously. Before he could even think it through, he blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

A perfect brow rose at that and he blushed, lowering his head and tried again.

"I mean, don't you have class?"

"Divination?" Lucius scoffed. "Please, it's the most ridiculous subject there is. Since when does my food preferences depend on Saturn's rings' coloration?"

Despite himself, Severus chuckled.

"Yeah, I also find it a waste of time."

"My mother is a strong believer in it, though. Father and I are always trying to make her see the nonsense behind it all but she stays on it. That's why I wear my hair long. It has never been cut ever since I was born. According to her it was foretold by the star constellation of Draco that if I keep my hair long I will have a son when I am 28. Can you believe that stupidity?" Rolling his eyes, he opened his satchel and withdrew some books.

Severus watched the blond with nervous and curious eyes. Why was Lucius being so nice to him? Surely the blond had heard lots of things about him already from other students?

"A-are you sure you want to sit here?"

Lucius looked first at him and then looked around, studying the grass and the oak tree's massive branches above them.

"Is it not safe here?"

"Well, it is, but...are you sure you want to be sitting here...with me...?"

The green eyes lit up in understanding. With a soft sigh, he closed his book and leaning his elbows on his knees, he looked him dead in the eye.

"Look, about what happened back in the class...I am sorry if I had brought that upon you."

"You didn't. I guess you can say that I am not a class favourite."

Looking back down at his book, he watched as Pewter attempted to climb up, fat fingers clutching at the edge of the book as stubby back legs waved in the air. From where she sat near her master, Vanima watched his ascent with a cocked head.

"I found it very immature and distasteful for that student to do that," Lucius said. "He is simply full of himself, and very rude as well."

"He is one of the most popular students in Hogwarts."

"That explains much," Lucius replied, picking up his quill and started to write on his scroll. "I personally hate people of his likes. They allow others worship of them to go to their heads. I have yet to meet a level headed popular student."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Lucius' eyes were trained on his book, smooth brow furrowed somewhat in concentration as he read the questions.

"Well...you must have been very popular at your old school." He faltered when the green eyes met his but went on, "And no doubt you will be very well known here at Hogwarts."

"Believe me, it is not something I encourage. I prefer to be left alone." A slight hint of warning accompanied the voice but still Severus went on.

"That must certainly be very hard to do," Severus said as he watched the sunlight glimmer like sprinkled gold on Lucius' long tresses. Sometime between class and here he had loosened it and it now fell over his shoulders as he read. "You already have the entire DADA class captivated and--"

"Just drop it, okay?" The once green eyes had morphed into ice blue and their stare froze him if only momentarily.

"I-I-I am...I a-am ver-very s-s-sorry."

As quickly as they had formed, the icy walls melted, leaving behind the warm ocean coloured eyes. Lucius sighed and ran his hand through his hair, brushing it out of his face.

"I'm sorry, Severus. I have no right to be taking anything out on you. I simply do not like to talk about it..."

Vanima rubbed her head against his arm, purring in an attempt to calm him.

"Of course. I shouldn't have pushed you."

Lucius smiled softly and returned to his school work. Watching the blond write, Severus felt for some reason at peace. It was the first time in his years at Hogwarts that he had been in the company of someone for no reason. He had been paired up with partners for projects, much to their dismay, but never had he had a simple conversation with anyone.

They worked the rest of the hour. When the bell rang they remained sitting since there was still a second hour of Divination to go. Students crossed the courtyard to get to their classes, chatting and laughing though once they caught sight of the two Slytherins they fell silent, some even stopping with walking all together.

"That's him! That's Lucius!" a red haired girl whispered frantically to her friends who squealed but luckily kept their distance.

"Why is he sitting with Snivellus?

"Maybe he's going to hex him."

"Oh my god! He's so handsome!"

Lucius didn't even blink at their words, intently reading and writing, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Severus admired his ability to ignore people, wishing he had that gift himself.

Finally, everyone was forced to keep moving as the second bell rang. Once again, they were left alone in the vacant courtyard. Several more minutes passed by before Lucius made an exhausted snort.

"I don't get this!"

"Get what?"

"This stupid Polyjuice potion. It takes a month before it is ready, but everybody knows that the Casdratop roots that are needed in it survive only a few days once removed from the soil. Yet they play the vital role in a successfully brewed potion. How is that possible?"

"That is actually a trick question." He hesitated before moving in for a closer look. When Lucius made no comment, he sat down next to the blond.

"How so?"

"Casdratop doesn't actually need to be in the soil. It just needs the minerals found in it. All you have to do is add one spoonful of earth to every litre of potion and it will suffice."

Lucius looked rather impressed. "You are very good at this. Then again, you got an O on your OWL."

Flustered by the sincere compliment, Severus schooled himself not too look too proud and shrugged a casual shoulder.

"I like potion making just as much as I like DADA. I believe that once you get the idea of what you are doing everything just falls into place."

"Do you think...that you could tutor me then?"

Severus' mouth fell open. Tutor Lucius? As in, spend extra time with the blond to help him with his school work? He had figured that Lucius had only sat with him because everyone else had class but the blond had been nothing but sincere and very pleasant and now he wanted to spend more time with him? Severus 'Snivellus' Snape? He found his tongue.

"M-Me? Tutor you?"

Lucius nodded, a somewhat shy smile on his handsome face.

"Potions is one of my...weaker...subjects. I can never follow these instructions and I was just able to creep over my OWL with an 'A' for Acceptable. Not something my father was very proud of, to say the least. Headmaster Dumbledore is planning on having me take extra lessons from our Potions teacher, but I think I would learn much better if I got it from you."

This time he could not stop the blush from running across his normally pale face and he pretended to be intent on removing a small rock from Pewter's mouth.

"If you want."

"Excellent!" He fell silent as he studied him. "You are quite an individual, Severus."

"Oh?" He looked up, throwing away the pebble and putting Pewter back on the ground.

"You're so...different from everyone else. I feel more comfortable around you than the rest of the students. I guess it's because we are two outsiders."

"You want to be an outsider. I am simply dubbed one." Hoping it hadn't sound like an offence, he watched for any sign of the returning cold eyes.

"True, true. But doesn't me wanting to be an outsider make me an outsider?"

Thinking it over, it made sense, in a weird way. Chuckling softly, he nodded. Something furry touched his hand and he looked down to where Vanima sat looking up at him with those pine-green eyes. The very tip of her tail twitched every now and then. This seemed to appeal to Pewter more than the blade of grass he was chewing on and quickly wobbling over, he watched the flicking black tip for several seconds before opening his mouth widely and clamping down on it.

The toad had no teeth but the element of surprise was against Vanima and she yowled and started to run in circles, trying to swat at the annoying pest which held on with all its life.

Severus was about to apologise but Lucius was laughing heartedly, knowing his pet was more indignant than hurt. His laugh was clear and Severus knew that he would be looking forward to hearing more of it in time.

Vanima had enough and jumped into her master's lap, lifting her tail in a gesture that meant 'take it off!' However, Pewter was a rather well-fed toad and the black feline couldn't lift her tail very much. With a pleading meow, she nuzzled Lucius' chest. Wiping away the tears in his eyes, he obliged and gently pried the now saliva soaked tail from Pewter's stubborn mouth.

"It would appear that you have met your match, my pet." His only response was an un-amused meow before she set about grooming her mangled tail. "What time is it?"

Severus pulled out his homework planner and opened it to the inner cover. A mini calendar on which a small red dot shifted automatically at the turn of a new day, today it circled Monday September 2nd. Below that was a small clock.

"It's almost 11 o'clock."

"I have to bring Vanima back to the dormitory. I only let her out because she hates being inside for too long." He rose smoothly, picking up the cat that was still intent on her tail. "Do you want me to take Pewter for you?"

"No, I carry him in my satchel. I can't trust him alone in the rooms. Last time he ate Jacob Sedras' plant that he had been growing for Herbology."

"Oh." Lucius commented, stroking Vanima's black fur as she laid purring in his arms, eyes sleepy and content.

'Oh, indeed.' It had taken Madam Pickle two hours to get his eyes back to size after Jacob had vented his 'displeasure' out on him.

"Then I will be right back."

Shaking his head with a small smile, he turned, his hair fanning out like a curtain of gold floating in the wind. His long legs carried him swiftly and soon he disappeared around the corner with a final flap of the black cloak.

Severus could barely contain himself. Someone had sat with him! And not just someone; Lucius Malfoy! And he, Severus Snape, was going to tutor him! He actually had a friend! He wasn't too sure on that last one, but the fact that Lucius had been so nice to him must mean something.

"What do you think, Pewter?"

The toad croaked from where it sat chewing on the end of his quill, the feathers now sticking together with toad drool, resembling Vanima's tail right about now. Pewter croaked stubbornly when its delicious quill was being pulled from its mouth. Teeth or no teeth, the toad had a good grip of the plume and refused to let go.

"Fine, keep it. At least it will keep you quiet." Packing up the rest of his things, he leaned back against the tree, awaiting the blond's return.

What if they did become friends? What type of things would they do together? He hoped Quidditch wasn't one of them; physical activities had never been one of his best talents. He usually ended up standing alone while the captains of the teams argued over who got him.

_"You take him!" _

_"No way! We had Snivellus last week and lost! It's your turn!" _

_"As if! We already have seven players. You only have six." _

_"Fine, guess we are going to lose again." _

Yes, sports had left some of the darkest, deepest hole in his mind. So deep that he sometimes wished that he could crawl into it and hide.

"Oi, Snivellus!"

And right now he wished he could crawl into the ground. The voice sent a shiver down his spine and back up. Raising his head unwillingly, he looked up into two pairs of burning eyes.

"What are you doing out of class? The bell is not going to ring for another ten minutes." He tried to sound calm but his heart was beating wildly in his chest.

"Miss Lunar ended class early because she got a 'vision' that the floor would collapse beneath us if we stayed any longer," Potter informed from where he stood next to Sirius, a stupid grin plastered on his face as always and dark eyes gleaming beneath the tousled hair.

Wormtail stood next to him, trying to look intimidating though he resembled a mouse guarding its cheese. As always Lupin opted to keep his distance though he did keep track of what was going on.

"Hope you enjoyed your free time, Snivellus," James said with a sneer.

"Especially since you're going to have a lot more of it while recovering in the school infirmary," Sirius growled, cracking his knuckles.

Tbc…

* * *

Read & Review, please. 


	3. Infirmary Blues

Title: Finding Severus

Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: T

Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and write with the sole purpose to entertain.

* * *

"I say a few good punches are in order."

"Nah, too boring. Let's turn his skin orange again."

"Okay, okay," Sirius rolled his eyes as he held on tightly to Severus' collar. "We beat him up and then turn him orange."

"With green polka dots!" Wormtail's squeaky voice piped up.

"Excellent idea!" Potter complimented and the little rat beamed as if he had just been given a gift from the gods.

"Fine, but I want first hit." Sirius grumbled, flexing his wrists.

"I didn't make you use that charm on me; it's your own fault that you lost your wand," Severus muttered as he ineffectively tugged at Sirius' grip, finding that he would have had a better chance escaping a statue's grasp.

"Oh believe me, you definitely deserved this."

A fist buried itself in his stomach and he made a loud grunt upon the impact. He had no time to draw his breath when a fist caught him right on his nose. A sickening crunch sounded and he felt a warm gush of blood run down; he could taste the coppery liquid in his mouth.

"Hey, leave some for me!" James laughed and released him, causing him to drop on the grass.

Shakily rising, he got to all four but a foot caught him right in the ribs. He groaned and fell back down. Above him he could hear the Gryffindors laughing as another painful kick caught him in his side. He clenched his eyes shut and prayed for it to be over.

A startled croak made him open them again to see Pewter flying high into the air only to plummet back down into Potter's waiting palm; James was tossing the poor creature like a ball, catching it before hurtling it back high into the sky.

"No! Leave him alone!"

Spitting blood, he forced himself to stand but was too late to see a foot as it sped towards his face, catching him on the cheek. Wormtail squealed in victory before hiding behind Potter again.

"This is really stupid, guys," Remus tried to reason with his friends as he watched the toad rocket up and down. "You're going to get into trouble."

"Aw, stop being such a stick in the mud, Moony," James laughed. "Try it; it's really relaxing!"

Remus shook his head, looking around somewhat nervously.

Sirius went on to deliver more punches and kicks while James kept on juggling, the annoying rat's cheers growing louder with each toss.

Severus didn't know if he had blacked out or something but the next thing he knew he could hear cheering from other students; the bell had just rang and they now crowded around, placing bets and chanting James and Sirius' name.

"Whoops!" Potter pretended to 'accidentally' miss a very easy catch and Pewter landed with a pained croak on the grass. For a moment Remus moved to pick him up but James had grabbed him again and began tossing the poor toad once more, throwing him higher and higher.

"Who wants to see toad guts splatter!"

The students cheered their approval and the toad's flight became higher and higher.

"On three! One...!" He caught Pewter and propelled him high into the air.

"Two...!" The students called out. James caught the terrified toad and heaved him high once more.

"No!" Severus scrambled in a desperate attempt to save his pet.

"Three!"

Pewter was rocketed the highest he had ever been and James stepped back, obviously not intending on catching the toad. When Lupin again tried to save the toad Potter grabbed his arm, laughing as he watched the frog plummet downwards.

Unable to reach him in time and unable to watch, Severus dropped his head onto the grass, gritting his teeth when another kick almost shattered his now sorely bruised ribs.

Everything fell silent and he though he had passed out, but the pain was still there. Raising his head from where he had buried it in his arms, he blinked through the blood that flowed from a deep gash in his brow.

Potter stood where he had last seen him but now the wide grin had completely vanished, replaced by an open mouth and a kinda scared expression. His arm released Lupin who didn't notice. Even Sirius had stopped the assault on him. Wormtail was on the ground, cowering behind Potter; and for good reason.

Standing tall and lethal, eyes steel-blue and face stone-cold, was Lucius.

In his hand sat Pewter, having been caught by the blond before the fatal impact with the ground, shaking but safe.

"Never heard of picking on someone your own size?"

To his credit, James recovered, albeit with considerable difficulty, and a sneer of his own formed.

"You want to back those words up with your fists, pretty boy?"

The last two words struck a nerve and the blue eyes narrowed but Lucius remained silent.

Feeling confident that the blond was relenting, James continued.

"First day at Hogwarts and already you are playing hero? The new student who saves the day?" He took a step closer, purposefully invading the blond's personal space. "I've heard that the reason you came to Hogwarts was because you were expelled from your former school."

A collection of surprised murmurs broke out from the crowd.

"Prongs," Remus said somewhat harshly, coming to stand next to his friend though not fully supporting the other's behaviour or choice of words.

James ignored his friend's attempt to make peace.

"What happened? Body-guarding the weak as well?" he looked pointedly at Severus who had still to rise. "Or was it something else? Something of a more...personal matter?"

He smirked and reached out a hand to take hold of a lose lock of golden hair that swayed in the other teen's face.

Lucius' free fist clenched and he had to visibly restrain himself. With a dismissive snort, he slapped the hand away, hard. The surrounding students gasped; no one had ever dared to defy any of the marauders like that.

"You should listen more to your friend," he said, referring to Remus, "I am merely following school rules. Isn't there one that states 'No fighting?'"

"There most certainly is," spoke a voice from behind them.

Students parted to reveal Dumbledore flanked by several teachers. Amongst them were Syntrad and Gryffindor's Head of House, Professor McGonagall, whose lips were a thin, straight line as she took in the scene.

"I cannot begin to express my deepest disappointment. In all of you."

Dumbledore's ancient eyes swept over the whole crowd and many students lowered their heads in shame.

"You have brought shame to Hogwarts with your barbaric behaviour. At Hogwarts we are to look out for one another and yet I find you attacking a fellow student while threatening a second. Three against one, to make it worse."

"But Professor--"

"Silence, Potter!" McGonagall snapped. "I am absolutely disgusted with you! I warned you on your egoistical attitude! The both of you!" she pointed to him and Sirius. "The very first day of school and already you've managed to cause trouble! As much as I hate to do this it appears I must; 150 points will be taken from Gryffindor!"

A chorus of protests came from the Gryffindors in the crowd.

"But professor, we don't even have that many points yet!"

"I know. However it will be retracted from future points until it has been paid off."

Another wave of protest but her sharp glare shut them all up at once.

"As for you," Dumbledore pointed to Potter, Sirius and Pettigrew, "Fighting is not left unpunished. Go wait for me in my office. Not you, Remus," he said when the quiet teen gave the indication to go with the others. "You have done nothing to deserve punishment. It's best to go on to class."

Lupin looked indecisive but James just motioned him to go on.

"I need to copy your notes anyways," the bespectacled boy grinned slightly.

Nodding, the remaining Marauder took up his satchel and with a parting wave he set off towards the building.

Giving Lucius a challenging glare and Severus a look of pure hatred, James then turned and walked off in the other direction which led to the Headmaster's office. Sirius, lingering for a moment as he studied Lucius, then followed. As always Wormtail took up the rear.

Seeing as the show was over, and that many teachers were there, the other students started to slip off as well. The other teachers followed the students into the buildings, leaving Dumbledore, McGonagall and Syntrad behind.

Severus was barely aware of his surroundings but suddenly Pewter's big eyes came into his vision; the toad having been gently set down before him. He felt someone kneel next to him and he was gently helped to his own knees. A hand touched his face and he flinched in pain.

"Relax, Severus. Let me see," Lucius said softly but seriously. Tilting back his bloodied face, he studied the damage done and sighed.

"It would be best for you to go to the school nurse, Severus," Dumbledore advised as he came to stand before the two. "She will have you cleaned up in no time."

"Yet, tir," Severus mumbled, his broken nose affecting his speech.

"And I am very proud of you, Lucius. It was very decent of you to stand up for your fellow student. Especially since this is only your first day."

"Thank you, sir, but I was merely defending my friend," the blond said as he slowly got to his feet, easily lifting Severus with him.

The three teachers shared an incredulous but proud look.

They had tried time and time again to make Severus feel more accepted at Hogwarts but as long as the student shunned him, no amount of encouraging words could ever heighten his self-esteem. They didn't know how it was possible that Lucius Malfoy, son of the wizarding world's most aristocratic, not to mention arrogant, pure-blooded wizard, Malcolm D. Malfoy, would choose to be friends with Severus Snape, but they would do their best to encourage their friendship.

"I can take him to the infirmary," Syntrad stepped forward but Lucius shook his head.

"I can handle it. But I would appreciate if you showed me the way, sir."

Nodding his approval, he ducked beneath Severus' other arm and slung it around his shoulder. But Lucius didn't move at once. He turned to the two remaining professors.

"Could you please look about Pewter, ma'am? I fear he may have sustained some injuries."

McGonagall looked down to see the dishevelled toad sitting disorient in the green grass. Bending down, she picked up the poor thing and frowned to see that his front leg had indeed been broken.

"Those ruffians!" she said softly but angrily, "I've tried time and time again to put them in line but they keep on stepping out of it. Their attitudes have gone too far, Albus." She sighed. "Why can't Lupin's good nature rub off on his friends?"

"They will receive their punishment," he assured as he watched Lucius and Syntrad carry Severus into the building, a small smile on his ancient face.

"It is a miracle, isn't it?" Minerva asked when she saw the smile.

"I had feared that Lucius would be just like his father; arrogant, rude, uncaring and the likes. Yet he has befriended a person I know Malcolm would never even consider worthy. I don't know how or why, but those two will be fast friends in the near future."

"That is very good to hear. Severus had been isolated from the students for so long."

With that they both went their own way; Dumbledore to deal with the three Gryffindors who awaited him in his office, and McGonagall to find the Care of Magical Creatures teacher to heal poor Pewter.

* * *

"Well, that's that." Madam Pickle, Hogwarts' nurse and scholar in the arts of Herbal and Incantation Healing, prodded the swollen area none to gingerly. "Luckily, your nose isn't broken but there is a small fracture right here." She placed pressure on the bridge and he yelped in pain. "Stay put, I'll get you something for the pain."

Madam Pickle was what you could call a happy-go-lucky person. Her voice was like a chirping baby bird; one that he would love to shoot at the moment.

"Lay down and I'll be right back."

With a wide smile she trotted off, curly brown hair bobbing with each step.

"Lay down. Like I have a choice!" he grumbled, doing what she had said. In truth it was very good advise; sitting up was very painful and forced him to breathe heavily otherwise he would suffocate.

"I hope those three are as miserable as I am."

The marauders would get their due punishment, but that never really worked. They would carry it out and then start all over again, sometimes even before finishing their previous punishments. It was as if they had to humiliate him in order to live; they needed it like they needed oxygen.

He gingerly touched his nose and flinched. It was swollen and extremely sensitive, the smallest of contact felt like a sledgehammer and he was afraid to breathe too heavily because it was torture. His ribs were no better. He was also weak and light-headed. In fact, had it not been for Lucius' help he would have never been able to get to the infirmary.

"Lucius..."

The blond had stayed with him until the nurse had arrived and would have remained had she not shooed him off to attend class; it wouldn't do well for him to miss classes on his first day here. He had reluctantly left with the promise to be back as soon as he could since they had still had four lessons to go.

"Here we go!" Madam Pickle chirped, startling him as she seemed to suddenly materialize next to him, a large tray loaded with bottles in her hands. Setting it down, she picked up one and quickly measured the right amount.

"Okay, this will reduce the swelling and repair that small crack. Drink up."

No medicine ever tasted good and this one was no exception. Bitter beyond belief with a touch of sourness thrown in. His stomach immediately tried to reject it but he forced it back down, making a face as he handed back the empty cup with a trembling hand.

"What did you expect; root beer?" Madam Pickle giggled before going on to give him many viler tasting remedies. One for his bruised ribs, one for only the bruises, three for his black eye, one to remove the blood in his air pipe, one to fix his split lip and two to provide him extra strength for the healing process.

'I'm so full with medicine I can't even eat dinner!' he moaned to himself as he handed her back the final glass.

"Now just rest and let the medications do their work. You only have one lesson left for the day but I will send a letter to your teacher explaining everything. I will be back in an hour to check on you."

"Thank you."

With a flashing smile and swirling robes, she turned and trotted out, leaving him to wonder if she was intoxicated on herbal fumes; she never stood still!

He laid back down in the now empty infirmary. Outside he could hear the bell ring, signalling the final lessons. A bustle of students' voices and moving feet went on for many minutes before everything grew silent once more.

'I'm bored.'

He hadn't been lying for more than fifteen minutes but already he had grown weary of staring at the ceiling. Then again, he had spent many times in the infirmary doing just this. His visits were so frequent that he actually had his own bed; in the farthest corner yet with a great view of the mountains west of Hogwarts.

Simply watching the mountains and the late afternoon sky above them, he didn't hear the approaching footsteps. A hand landed on his shoulder and he almost tumbled from the bed in an attempt to get away.

"Severus, calm down. It's me."

Wrapping his arms around his ribs, which were angrily protesting against his movements, he looked up from beneath his tousled black hair into bright aqua eyes.

"Wha--wheeze What a-acough are you doing wheeze here?"

This time, he didn't have the energy, or the breath, to elaborate his curt words and prayed that Lucius would not take offence in them. Luckily, the blond understood what, and how, he meant.

"Our History teacher seems to have vanished," Lucius shrugged and removed his satchel, placing it on the foot of the bed before drawing a chair over and sitting down. "It would appear that someone named...Jeeves?"

"Peeves."

Severus had had more than his shares of unpleasant run-ins with the pesky poltergeist.

"Yes, that character. It would appear that he flushed our History teacher, or so they are saying."

Severus could tell that the news confused Lucius a bit so finding his voice, and a comfortable position that no longer aggravated his ribs, he explained.

"Our History teacher, professor Binns, is a ghost."

"From the others' reaction I don't think he is a favourite here."

"Well, he is kinda boring." He paused for a moment. "Actually, he's very boring."

"So we should be glad that he's been stowed away?" Lucius asked with a small smile.

"Yeah." He wiped his eyes wearily and hissed when his palm accidentally brushed his nose.

His hiss was cut short when he felt a velvety hand gently pull his own away from his face. Its partner tenderly touched his nose and he winced again though he was quite transfixed in the ocean blue eyes that studied his beaten face with anger.

"I do hope that professor Dumbledore give them their dues."

"He is generally a very soft-spoken man, but he has dealt out some of the most extreme punishments Hogwarts has ever seen. Most of them going to the marauders."

"The Marauders?"

"Potter, Black, Lupin and Wormtail. That's what they call their little group. Actually, it's really only Potter and Black you have to keep an eye on. Pettigrew is a little coward and Lupin isn't a trouble maker."

Lucius' brows raised at that and he shook his head, grinning in disbelief.

"It's going to take me forever to learn everything about this school. It's so different from..."

Severus waited but the blond fell silent, aqua eyes distant as they seemed to travel somewhere other than here.

Potter's words came to mind;

'...you've been expelled from your former school.'

From Lucius' reaction he could tell that that was true. But what did Lucius do? He didn't seem like the troublesome type, unlike certain Gryffindors.

"You must have something! You have to get rid of it!"

A boy's desperate voice rang out from down the hall though it drew nearer, somewhat pitched with worry.

"Stop over reacting!" Madam Pickle's soothing voice was surprisingly harsh.

Lucius blinked out of his trance-like state and Severus groaned as he recognized the voice.

"Oh no…"

"What is going on?" Lucius asked, turning in his seat to see the door as the noise drew nearer.

Sighing and leaning back, Severus stared up at the ceiling and crossed his arms.

"You'll soon find out."

Sure enough, the doors open and in came two people. One was Madam Pickle, a look of exasperation on her normally jolly face as she held onto a student who was covering his face with his hands. From the yellow of his uniform it was clear that he was a Hufflepuff.

"I'm deformed! I can never look at people again!"

"Cobblesworth!"

She forced him to sit on a bed nearby and taking a chair, she sat down before him.

"Now let me see what 'disaster' has befallen you this time."

With much effort, she managed to pry the hands away from the face.

Upon entering, the student's curly blond hair had been apparent. His face, now revealed, was good looking though it was streaked with tears. Yet that was the only imperfection to be seen.

"I don't see anything wrong with your face, Mr Lockhart."

"What! Are you blind! Look!"

He pointed to his chin.

With another sigh, she leaned forward for a closer look, the frown never leaving her face.

"Mr Lockhart, all I see is a barely noticeable redness of the skin. Why the big fuss?"

"Oh, sure! It's merely a little bit red now. By tomorrow it will have grown into a large, unsightly pimple! My reputation is at stake here, ma'am! You have to do something!"

Lucius blinked before meeting Severus' eyes who merely shook his head and motioned for him to continue listening.

"It is very normal for people your age to have a break-out every now and then."

"You don't understand!" the boy almost wailed, "Tomorrow the photographers of Witch Weekly are coming to take my interview and pictures for the article of me winning the Best Smile award last week. I can't have the entire wizarding population reading my story while being distracted by a gigantic blemish!"

"But if you..." she sighed, giving up. "Alright, I will go see if I can find something that can help this 'horrifying' dilemma."

"Will you really? Oh, thank you!" He hugged the startled nurse. "I will mention you in the article. In fact, how would you like to be in the magazines?"

"Flattered but uninterested. Stay here." She rose and passing Severus' bed she rolled her eyes to him in secret which he returned with a smile.

"What was that all about?" Lucius asked though Severus never got to answer.

"Snape?" The blond stood and trotted over.

Severus bit back another groan. First pain at the hands of the Gryffindors and now torture at the presence of the Hufflepuff.

Gilderoy Lockhart was a very colourful character, to say the least. Like all Hufflepuff students, his robes were black and yellow though it was barely recognizable beneath the long beisge overcoat. A lilac petticoat covered his torso and designer boots reached his knees; he had one for everyday of the week.

The only thing more important to the Peacock of Hufflepuff, as many called him, than his clothes was his face and hair. He would wake up an hour before his fellow Hufflepuffs and spent all that time in the washroom, applying layers and layers of hair care products and brushing his teeth five times, flossing them six, and gurgling for five minutes. There was not a student in Hogwarts more vain than him though it paid off; he had many little fan clubs formed by the female students.

"Well met, Severus! Dear me, what happened to you? You look paler than usual."

Severus knew that, though he was terribly annoying, Gilderoy wasn't mocking him in any way. The peacock was merely being himself, always giving out 'beauty-tips'. Inside he had a good heart but his obsession with vanity could really grate on one's nerves.

"I just had a run-in with someone."

"Potter and his merry men? Yes, I did see them coming out of Dumbledore's office on my way here. They looked rather glum. Poor chaps." He tsk'ed before turning his attention to Lucius.

"Oh, hello there! You must be the new exchange student that everyone is talking about. Welcome to Hogwarts!" He held out his hand for Lucius, who was looking him over with a certain amused look, obviously having never met such a flamboyant character.

"Thank you. Lucius Malfoy of Slytherin."

"Gilderoy Lockhart of Hufflepuff. I'm sorry that you have to see me like this." he pointed to the 'pimple' on his chin. "I guess I shouldn't have eaten that chocolate donut last night. I was just so excited; this is going to be my twentieth interview."

"About what?" Lucius asked despite Severus' look that pleaded him not to.

Pleased to have found someone to boast to, Gilderoy sat down on the edge of the bed, smiling broadly.

"I've been voted Best Smile by Witch Weekly. This is the third year in a row!" As if wanting to prove the votes correct, he flashed them a bright smile. "It was rather close, though not anything really worth fretting over. My closest rival was from Beauxbatons Accademy; a lass who had Veelan blood in her family. Her face may have been rather beautiful but when it cam down to it I emerged the victor!"

"Congratulations." Lucius said, shooting questioning looks to Severus who merely shrugged.

"Thank you. Say, have you ever considered a role as a model?"

Suddenly, being in the hands of Potter and his cronies seemed much more appealing. He had known that the peacock would ask Lucius that.

It took Lucius a moment to answer. "No, I'm not interested in that way of living."

"Not interested? My dear lad," he wasn't any older than them but they didn't comment on that, "Have you any idea how many wizards wish that they had our natural good looks? You've got a lot of potential! I have connections, if you want I can call up Belle. She's a good friend of my father's friend who is editor of Abra-Ka-Do, the number one hair care magazine. Why, I used to be their poster boy but I quit after a while."

"He was let go." Severus' muttered and Lucius raised a brow but said nothing and continued to listen politely to what the Hufflepuff had to say.

"What do you put in your hair? I bet it's from the Mandrake line of hair care products!"

"I don't put anything in my hair, except when I wash it."

"Honestly? Amazing! Even I, winner of seven different hair care awards, have to use mouse every now and then." Then, as a second thought, "But not too much, you know, I don't really need it."

The two Slytherins were spared more when Madam Pickle entered, her face in tired defeat as her eyes met Gilderoy's hopeful ones.

Holding up a small bottle in her hand she said, "I've just brewed this. It should kill any bacteria that may cause a pimple and will clear up the redness within an hour."

"Ah, excellent!" Gilderoy almost grabbed the bottle out of her hands. "Well then, I have no time to waste. I will see you around then!" He waved at the two Slytherins before hurrying out the room.

"That was...bizarre."

"Thankfully, he's one of a kind."

Lucius laughed.

"I must say, I have more interesting people today than I have in all my life."

The blond's laughed was intoxicating and he found himself chuckling also.

"Well, there are many more here at Hogwarts."

"Really?" Lucius looked outside at the late sun. Moving to sit on the edge of the bed he said, "We still have time before the evening meal. Do tell me more of those in Hogwarts."

They passed more than an hour with Severus describing many students and teachers while Lucius listened, asking questions every now and then. Severus found himself enjoying the rare attention bestowed upon him and for the first time in many years, he spoke openly, even telling small jokes here and there to which the blond laughed.

Watching Lucius, Severus thought to himself,

'I've never met anyone like him. He could become Hogwarts most popular student yet here he is talking to me. Maybe, just maybe, we could become friends...'

Tbc...

* * *

Read & Review! 


	4. Meet The Slytherins

Title: Finding Severus  
Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine  
Rating: T  
Summary: see chapter one  
Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. All unrecognizable characters belong solely to me so do not touch. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

* * *

"And this is the dining hall," Severus pointed out as they neared the towering double doors. "Each house has its own table and the teachers' table is at the front. Students can also come here to study or relax in between meals and during the holidays."

"Do you stay here for the holidays?" Lucius asked, looking around as he walked next to Severus, intently listening to his guide.

"Most of the time. It's better than...It's nice during the holidays."

If the blond had noticed his change in words he didn't show it.

Madam Pickle had released Severus from the infirmary 30 minutes ago which gave them enough time to make it to the dining hall before the evening meal began. Along the way Severus had done his best to inform Lucius where everything was.

However, as they neared the large hall, he felt the butterflies grow more restless in his stomach; did he dare face the other students? They would surely start their name-calling once he stepped through those doors.

'Too late to turn back now,' his mind said as they stood before the imposing doors.

"Do we wait?" Lucius asked when he didn't move.

"N-No. I was just lost in my thoughts," Severus muttered and mentally taking a deep breath he pushed the large doors open, wincing at the heavy rumble they made as they parted.

'Please don't make me, or someone else, make a fool of myself.'

Every head in the room turned as the two Slytherin stepped in. Lucius paid them no heed as he looked around, admiring the floating candles and illusionary evening sky above. He then looked back down at the tables and students before turning to Severus, awaiting his lead.

"This way," Severus said as he made his way to the Slytherin table. He could feel every eye on him and the hall was quiet with the exception of whispers from students. That was broken by a soft but resounding tap of silverware on glass as professor Dumbledore stood.

"A moment, lads, if you please," he said to the two newcomers. "Students, I would like to introduce all of you, as well as the teachers, to our new exchange student, Lucius Malfoy of Slytherin."

Applause came along with a unified 'Welcome'.

Lucius glanced at Severus who shrugged helplessly. Turning back to the headmaster, the blond nodded as the applause died down.

"I thank you, headmaster Dumbledore, and you all for welcoming me."

While the rest went on to applaud again, Severus searched for a seat but was surprised when a voice called his name. He looked up to see Lexington Wheeler waving him over as he and his buddies made room on the bench for them though he hesitated; none of the Slytherins ever played any pranks on him or called him names, but they usually just tended to ignore him for the greater part. Especially this group; the Slytherin Quidditch team.

"Come on! The food is waiting!" Lexington called and Severus, having no other choice, obeyed, Lucius following.

"Heard about what the marauders did today. You're okay?" Lexington asked as the two sat down.

"I'll live," was his suspicious reply.

"Good to hear it. So," he turned to Lucius, "welcome to Slytherin."

"Thank you."

"I'm Lexington Wheeler, captain of our house's Quidditch team." He then pointed to the rest, naming them as he went along. "Sean Ubernauch, Fritz Desras; our beaters. Thomas Koost and Monty Redtown; our chasers, along with myself. And that one down there," he leaned forward to point down the table to a girl amongst the rest, "is Shirley Slestchky; our keeper."

"Only six?" Lucius asked, "Where's your seeker?"

"Ain't got one," Lex shrugged his wide shoulders. "We had one last year but thanks to a certain seeker from the other team," he glared over at the Gryffindor table, "he won't be riding a broom for another year or so."

"Potter and him collided high above the field and crash-landed, Potter on top of him so he wasn't to hurt but our guy was mashed up pretty bad," Monty elaborated. "And Potter swears it was an accident but I saw him deliberately swerve into our seeker because we were about to win that cup."

Before anything else could be said the plates before them were suddenly laden with food. Lucius raised a brow and turned to Severus who had been sitting silently next to him.

"That's how they serve us here at Hogwarts," Severus said, feeling somewhat at ease. He wasn't stupid; he knew the only reason why the Quidditch players had invited him over was so that they could talk to Lucius. Still, it was better than sitting by himself at the end of the table.

"Impressive," Lucius admitted, green eyes searching the array of food before settling for the salad.

"So what do you think of Hogwarts so far?" Lex asked as he speared a huge slab of steak. Like all the others his plate was full of mashed potatoes and meat; Severus was always amazed at how they could eat so much yet never grew too heavy or bulky to fly a broomstick.

"I'm very impressed. Though certain students I rather not mingle with."

"The Marauders," Sean identified, speaking around the meat in his mouth.

Lucius nodded. "I've been told that that's what they call themselves."

"One very bizarre group if you ask me," Thomas said, cutting his second steak.

"Say, Lucius, do you play Quidditch?" Lex asked out of nowhere.

"I used to. Just for fun, though."

"What position?"

"Whichever," the blond shrugged, poking at the chicken in his salad.

"We're having a try-out for a new seeker. Why don't you come?"

Severus shifted, worrying where this was going. If Lucius was to join the team then the blond was sure to stop being his friend, being in a better crowd and all. Still, there was little he could do so he remained silent, pushing his food around his plate as he awaited Lucius answer.

"I don't see myself as anything great but I guess it wouldn't kill me if I do."

"Wicked. Tomorrow then, at 4 o'clock on the Quidditch field. Severus here will be able to show you."

"Hey, why don't you try for the position, Snivellus?" asked a smirking voice as Potter and his gang came up behind them, having finished their meal. "How about Beater? You can use your nose for a bat."

Severus sighed, awaiting more but then, to his surprise, Lex stood, well a foot taller then Potter and twice as wide.

"How about I use your head for a bludger?"

No one, not even from his own house, had ever stood up for Severus so the surprised look on Potter and his friends' face was justifiable. Still, not to be outdone, James sneered and turned to Lucius who had remained silent.

"So, trying out for Quidditch, pretty boy? You should be careful; it's a very rough sport and you may get dirty."

"I take it you play?" Lucius asked calmly.

"Gryffindor team's Seeker, the best our house has seen in many years."

"Which isn't saying much," Fritz quipped and his friends snickered.

"You want to make something of it, Desras?" James started forward but Remus held him back.

"Just drop it, Prongs. The last thing we need is you getting our house in even more trouble. Let's go."

Sneering at the Slytherins but knowing his friend was right, and the fact that the teachers were all very close-by, James nodded.

"Guess you're just going to have to learn the hard way not to mess with the Gryffindors." Spinning on Severus, his scowl only deepened. "You can't hide behind your new friend forever, Snivellus. Don't even think for a second that you are off the hook."

With that he strode off, Remus leading and Wormtail scurrying behind them. Once again, Sirius faltered, eyes intently locked on Lucius who returned it with a narrowed glare. After some tense seconds the Gryffindor finally turned and walked off, disappearing through the tall doors.

"Is he always like that?" Lucius asked the pale boy beside him.

"I wouldn't trust him if I were you. Sirius always has something up his sleeves."

The blond nodded thoughtfully before Lex asked him something, drawing his attention off Severus who found himself more unsettled by Black's attitude than Lucius. The Gryffindor was notorious and the look he now reserved only for Lucius was one Severus had seen him give others. Others he had wanted. Black was pinning for the new student.

'Lucius can take care of himself. Much better than I can," he assured himself. Any further thoughts were interrupted when Sean and Monty asked him something about the day's lessons.

Within a few minutes Severus was shocked to find himself smiling, even laughing at some times, with the other teens as they told jokes and ate. They spoke to him, not just to impress Lucius, but to honestly talk. Fritz and Thomas were truly interested to learn that Severus had a scorpion collection back home; both boys having a fascination for all things crawling and venomous.

Severus slowly felt himself being accepted by his house.

Something he had never felt before.

* * *

Dinner had ended and the Dining Halls had slowly emptied as the students returned to their rooms. The Quidditch team had night practises so it was only Lucius and Severus as they slowly made their way to the Slytherin common room, Severus still explaining the lay-out of the immense palace that was their school. The painting on the wall, a wretched pair of witches enjoying their tea and maggoty biscuits, snapped to attention as the two approached.

"Password?" the one to the left asked, a large wart with a single strand of hair poking from her crooked nose.

"Retched Reptile."

The witch nodded and the painting swung aside, revealing the doorway that lead to the common room.

"Interesting password," Lucius chuckled.

"They change often so you have to be alert. I once spent the entire night trying to get in."

Lucius laughed but nodded. They walked on through the large green and silver decorated area, Lucius having already been familiarized to it by Headmaster Dumbledore. As they reached the rooms Severus expected Lucius to bid him good night in the hall, having no doubt another room, but the blond followed him, most likely not ready to sleep and wanting to learn more of Hogwarts. Which was fine for Severus; it got quite lonely sometimes, being by himself in the otherwise empty room.

For the past three years he had been in a room alone which was partially due to the unequal number of Slytherins and mainly due to the fact that no one had ever wanted to be his roommate.

"I wasn't expecting anyone so my room is a bit of a mess," he admitted, hand on the doorknob but hesitating.

"From the rooms I have seen earlier I truly doubt it can be worse than them."

"Lex and his friends' rooms?" Severus asked, well aware of the pigsty the Quidditch players lived in. Clothes and robes everywhere, beds never made, books scattered on the floor, empty plates with some food left on them; those rooms were beyond messy so he felt somewhat more at ease.

Turning the handle, he stepped inside, lighting the torch near the door which magically lit the rest, each bursting into flames one by one until the room was well lit.

Like all rooms, this was actually meant for five people but it had always been his. Actually, it wasn't messy, but he liked to keep things very orderly so the slightest rubble would look dreadful to him. At the moment his desk had a few stray papers and some of the books were out of place. His bed hadn't been made as neat as he liked it; he had been more focused on finishing off his report. But other than that, everything was alright.

Except...

"Meow?"

Vanima raised her head from where it had been contently resting on the sheets of the bed next to Severus'. On that bed was also a travel bag and at the foot was a large trunk with the initial L.M. in golden letters on the shiny black leather casing.

Blinking, he turned to Lucius who noticed the stare.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, removing the tie at the end of his hair.

"Are those...yours?"

The blond nodded, confused at the look on the pale boy's face.

"I was assigned to this room. You don't mind, do you?" he asked. "If you want I can ask Professor Dumbledore to place me in another. I just thought it would be great having you as a roommate."

Severus couldn't blink. Was he even breathing?

"A roommate? You? With me?"

He had always secretly wished for a roommate, as it sometimes got very lonely, but now that Lucius was his roommate he had been scared. What was he supposed to do? What do roommates do? Talk? About what?

"It is okay, Severus. If you don't want I can leave," Lucius said earnestly, mistaking the other boy's reaction for disappointment.

Snapping out of the trance, Severus shook his head.

"No! No, it's all right. I'm really glad to have you as a roommate. I'm just a bit surprised. You see..." he trailed off, eyes slowly running over the remaining three beds.

Lucius followed his line of sight and understood.

"The others are idiots." He smiled at the black-haired boy who turned to him with a bemused look. "You are a very interesting and fun person to be around. The moment I had stepped into class this morning I only had to look at you to know that you'd be a very good friend."

"A friend..." Severus repeated, sitting down on his bed, still numb.

Seeing the boy needed some time to recuperate, Lucius took out his towel and change of clothes.

"I'm going to take a bath. Be right back." With another smile, he walked out the room.

Severus remained where he was, eyes now on the shiny trunk at the foot of what was now Lucius' bed. Vanima rose from where she had been sleeping and jumped the distance between the beds with ease, padding over to Severus before rubbing her head on his arm, demanding attention.

Stroking the content cat, Severus felt a smile come to his face and felt it slowly grow till he was grinning widely.

"A friend," he said to himself. "I have a friend..."

The jade-eyed cat merely purred, curling up into a furry ball next to him as she fell back to sleep.

Tbc...

* * *

Read & review, please. 


	5. The New Seeker

Title: Finding Severus

Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: T

Summary: see chapter one

Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

* * *

"In 1254 the organisation S.O.S, or Save Our Squibs, attempted to reject the newly proposed law by the W.I.T, or Wizarding Institution of Tradition. The new decree stated that all squibs were to pay a large tax sum on all magical goods bought. The S.O.S fought for the rights of the squibs but when G.A.G, better known as Giants And Gnomes, was founded by Wilema Dnaw in 1258, the S.O.S had competition as the W.P.J. attempted to use the G.A.G as leverage to campaign against the voting rights of giants, which, as you all know, was banned ever since the disastrous outcome of the 1190 election in which 2 ogres became candidates which lead to the near-collapse of the Ministry..."

Having finally been rescued from Peeves' hexed toilet, Binns was back in action and as dull as ever, droning on as he floated down the aisle, reading out of a transparent book. Every now and then he unknowingly floated through a student, much to their displeasure; any contact with ghost left one feeling cold.

Most students didn't even notice, though, since they were asleep. Some laid sprawled over their desks, the feathers of their quills quivering as they breathed on it. Others laid back, heads skywards as they snored loudly. Sirius had gone as far as to having taken another chair and stretched himself on his back, resting his feet on the edge of James' chair.

In short, none were really paying much attention to the ancient ghost, which was only fair since he got back at them when he gave them 'P's' and 'D's' on their exams. So all in all, it evened out.

Severus blinked sleepily through his black bangs, grateful that they hid his eyes for the most part. He prided himself in normally being a very attentive student but Binns would have bored himself to death if it wasn't for the fact that he was already dead. Still, Severus tried his best to make notes though they were no more than a few random words on his parchment.

"Can anyone tell me why the W.I.T. had to rewrite the 500 year old law that allowed any wizard or witch the rights to obtain a Djengi?" Binns asked though his only answer was a particular loud snore from a Ravenclaw who turned in his sleep.

Surprisingly, a hand shot up.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

"Because someone had brought it to the muggle world and they began using it just for amusement?" answered a freckled-face red-head who sat at the front of the class.

"5 points for Gryffindor," Binns said, with as much 'enthusiasm' as always. "Djengi is an age-old practice in which wizards and witches communicate with their deceased family or friends. One such Djengi board managed to find its way into a muggle's hands and it became the phenomenon known as Ouija in the muggle world. The W.I.T. feared the muggles would use the board to find a way to our world so the practise was restricted to only highly educated wizards and witches."

"But, sir," Weasley spoke up again, entranced as always when it came to muggles, "if the W.I.T. was worried that muggles could discover a route, doesn't this prove that muggles aren't as simple minded as many wizards believe?"

"Not again..." Sirius groaned loudly, rolling his eyes as his classmate went on to discuss the many good aspects of muggles.

Silently agreeing with Sirius, for once, Severus placed his quill down and leaned on his elbows, bowing his head as he fought himself not to nod off to sleep.

"How can any wizard be interested in muggles?" asked a voice next to him and he was grateful for the distraction. Looking up to meet Lucius' inquiring eyes, he smiled.

"He finds them fascinating. Arthur is always trying to convince everyone that muggles are more than we believe. He collects muggle artefacts."

Lucius gave him a disbelieving look before shaking his head and returning for his notes, which were long and detailed. How the blond managed to actually pay attention was a mystery to Severus. There wasn't the slightest sign of sleep in the aqua eyes.

Thankfully, before he collapsed of boredom, the bell sounded, starting the sleeping students, some slipping out off their seats. Everyone quickly packed their things, hoping to escape the intoxicating dullness that hung like a cloud in the classroom. Also, this had been their final lesson and most were eager to return to their rooms to continue on sleeping.

"So where are you going now?" Severus asked as they left the class, passing a group of first year Hufflepuff girls who giggled and blushed when Lucius looked their way.

"The Quidditch field, if I can find it."

He blinked before sighing mentally; he had forgotten about the try-outs.

'Might as well show him the way; most likely it will be the last time we will hang out together."

"I have to get my broom and change. I'll be right back."

"Okay."

The blond offered a parting smile, tossing his golden hair out of his face before tying it back and picking up his spotless black satchel. The long ponytail swayed over the black cloak as the blond strode off, soon turning the corner to disappear from his view.

Leaning back against a massive pillar, he clutched his satchel to his chest, a somewhat defensive gesture he always did. His hand rested on the front pocket and he froze for a second when he found it empty only to remind himself that Pewter was still healing.

While he made a mental note to go check on his amphibian friend he failed to hear the footsteps as they came up behind him. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder and he jumped, spinning around, black eyes wide and anxious. It only heightened when he met Sirius' equally dark eyes.

"What do you want?" he demanded, or at least tried to demand, his voice coming out too shaky to be convincing.

"Just saw you standing here," the Gryffindor shrugged casually, leaning against the pillar, his Phoenix '98 racing broom held in the crook of his arm.

Severus stepped back when the hand lifted, eyeing the taller teen suspiciously.

"Where are your friends?" he asked. A trap. They were planning something and Sirius was there to distract him.

Sirius laughed, shaking his head, making the dark tresses bob slightly.

"You are so distrusting. Can't a student say 'hi' to his fellow school goer?"

Had it been Lupin he wouldn't have been on such high alert. Pettigrew was too big a coward to approach anyone on his own. It were James and Sirius who were the real troublemakers who never allowed a chance like this to pass them by.

A few moments passed between them before Sirius sighed, shrugging his careless shrug again.

"Well, I have to go to practise…Hey, isn't the Slytherin team also practicing today?"

Mystery solved. Sirius was doing the same thing the Slytherin team had; using him to get to Lucius. However, unlike the players, Sirius was not at all intended to befriend him, all he wanted was Lucius.

Scowling, he turned and started to walk off when the hand grabbed him again, much more forcefully this time.

"What? Feeling high and mighty lately? It doesn't fit you, Snivellus. Doesn't matter who you hang out with; you'll always be a nobody."

With those sneering words, he shoved the thin boy, snickering when he landed in a jumbled heap on the ground.

"See you on the field, Snivellus."

The dark robes brushed pass him as Sirius walked off, smiling smugly.

Rising to sore knees, he wiped the thin line of blood that dribbled from where his teeth had caught his lip upon impact. At least the halls were empty; no one was there to laugh or tease him.

He had just gotten to his feet when footsteps made him spin around, holding his satchel rather defensively against him.

"Sorry for the wait. I..." Lucius fell silent as he met Severus' wide eyes. "Are you okay? You're bleeding!"

Faking calm, he shrugged.

"What happened?" Lucius asked, brushing away the limp hair as he searched for any other injuries on the pale face.

Stepping back, Severus shook his head, wiping away the already thinning trail of crimson.

"I tripped."

"No you didn't." Lucius narrowed his eyes, easily seeing through the lie.

Shouldering his satchel, he started for the entrance hall which led to the Quidditch field.

"We better get going; you don't want to be late."

Lucius didn't break off the sharp stare for several moments but finally nodded and followed his friend.

The sun was shining in the afternoon skies which were clear and blue; perfect weather for flying. The grass beneath their feet was lush and green, contrasting with their dark robes. Robes?

"You already got your Quidditch uniform?" Severus made conversation, referring to the blonde's recognizable attire.

"Not the official one, but I can't fly in the school's uniform."

Recalling Sirius, (with a shiver), and his broom, Severus looked over to study Lucius' own broom.

"That looks pretty expensive," he noted, eyeing the sleek black painted handle. The bristles had been combed back in streamlined perfection, ideal against wind-resistance. Twin metal handles wrapped around the wood, gripping the bristles and giving the rider perfect balance. Engraved in flowing silver letters was the name; Dragon Blazer.

"You got that right! That there is the best, most sought after, and most expensive top-of-the-class racing broom ever to be created!"

Sean and Thomas came up to walk on either side of them though their eyes were glued on Lucius' broom.

"Whoa! Those things are only used in the championships!"

"We have the Flash nr.3, one of the best, but it doesn't even come close to a Dragon."

"Are you any good on it?"

"How long have you had it?"

Lucius merely smiled politely and nodded at their questions but the attention was not of his liking. Luckily, the towering walls and spectator stands loomed before them, all ports closed, since students weren't just allowed in the stadium when there weren't any matches. A side door that led directly onto the field was their only way in.

Severus had never been on the field and it was much more imposing down there than up in the stands. The field was huge and the heights of the hoops made him feel dizzy just looking up at them. He couldn't understand how the players could stomach Quidditch, much less love it. The entire game, flying at such heights, at such speeds, was just a medical emergency waiting to happen.

"We have the left side of the field," Thomas informer, nodding his head to the assembled group of players dressed in black and green. "Gryffindor managed to get their lame carcasses for the same time. Don't know why Dumbledore said yes; he knew we had already scheduled try-outs."

"According to him we won't need the entire field," Sean scoffed, his blond/red hair shining in the sun light.

Looking out of the corner of his eye, Severus could see the seven Gryffindor players, and a small group of supporters, watching the Slytherins' every move. So far they didn't seem intent on training.

"Just trying to steal our tactics."

Lex stood before them, his athletic body clad in captain's uniform.

"During try-outs?" Sean shook his head, grinning. "Man, those dweebs are messed up."

"Whatever, let's get started. Hey," he greeted Lucius and Severus, much to the latter's surprise. "You made it."

"Might as well send the others back to their rooms; this one is in the bag," Thomas bragged, holding up Lucius' broom proudly.

Lex was noticeably impressed.

"If you can prove yourself worthy of that, then welcome to the team."

The rest of the try-out players stood anxiously together, studying Lucius, their eyes widening when they caught sight of his broom. The rest of the team were seated on benches, each having a scrip board. Fritz and Monty sat talking quietly, no doubt swapping opinions on who was already out, their eyes fixed on a rather nervous looking fourth grader. Shirley was talking to two other girls, who were also trying out. From her hand movements it appeared that she was sharing advice with the first-time players.

"Alright, gather around, people!" Lexington shouted, his deep voice startling a few, the boy Fritz and Monty had targeted actually dropping his broom; definitely out.

"This is the try-out for Slytherin's Seeker. You will be evaluated on speed, agility and insight. We don't accept so-so. Any questions?"

"Why are they here?" one boy asked, motioning to the Gryffindors with his chin.

"Don't bother with them. They have 'practise'," Lexington answered.

"Why is he here?" the boy's friend asked, looking at Severus who still stood between Lucius and Sean.

"You got a problem that?" Sean snapped, cold blue eyes narrowing.

Both boys quickly shook their heads and kept silent.

Severus looked about disbelievingly. Sean had just defended him? Maybe he was dreaming, still asleep in Binn's classroom.

"You will go in pairs. The Snitch will be released," Lex pointed with his broom to the box nearby. "Whoever catches it first makes the list. The other can pack up his things and get lost. In the end we will compare and choose our house's new Seeker. We have a time limit; 10 minutes each pair."

A ripple of murmurs ran through the group at the ridiculously short time.

"If you don't like it then leave."

They fell silent.

"Good. Fritz, pair them up. Each pair gets a number. You start when the whistle goes and stop when it goes again. Only if you catch the Snitch within ten minutes will you stop earlier."

"Come on, we'll sit over here," Sean said to Severus, walking towards the bench where the others lounged. "Best seats when someone falls off their broom or crash lands."

He blanched at the mere thought but followed, looking over his shoulder at Lucius who already had a partner, a tall fifth grader who was gushing over the Dragon Blazer.

Sitting down on the open spot next to Monty, he watched anxiously, feeling out of place amongst the athletes. He definitely didn't have a sporting figure and prayed that the others wouldn't start asking him about the game for he wouldn't have a clue what to say.

Lucky for him, the try-outs began.

"Team 1!" Lex shouted, Thomas standing next with him, the ball chest at his feet and timer in his hand.

The first two stepped up, practically itching to fly.

"Mount your brooms!"

Thomas kicked the box, its top popped open. The Bludgers trembled under their restraints even though they weren't needed.

"Get ready!" Lexington held up his arm, signalling them.

The arm fell and Thomas released the Snitch.

With a humming buzz, it shot up, hovering for a few seconds before zipping off. Turf kicked up as the two flyers took off, shooting after the flitting golden ball.

"Meller's take off was awkward--"

"--Unstable, he's hugging the left too much--"

"--Crimpledon's reaction is too slow--"

"--They both take their turns too wide--"

"--Meller looks like he's just tailing Crimpledon--"

"--Angle, five degrees too narrow; he'd never be able to pull off a nose dive--"

"--He should adjust the grip; it looks like he's having some trouble just holding on--"

Severus listened as the team discussed the flaws though he himself would have never been able to tell; they seemed to be pretty good. Better than him for sure, though that wasn't saying much.

His eyes started to hurt as he tried to follow their movements so he looked away, instead studying the others. Lex and Thomas had walked over to sit with them, also making notations. The other try-out flyers did the same, except for Lucius who watched on silently, a soft frown on his face as if mentally disapproving what he saw.

Opposite on the field, the Gryffindors watched as well with ill-hidden glances, some even lying on the grass, shielding their eyes from the sun as they watched the two Slytherins' chase the elusive Snitch above the field.

"One minute left!" Lex shouted.

In the last few seconds Meller was able to reach out and grab the Snitch, though almost fell off of his broom in the process. Beside Severus, Sean shook his head and marked something that looked like a big 'X' on his sheet.

"Next!" Lex announced, not even complimenting the flyers.

Again, two stepped up. One of them being the unfortunate fourth grader Monty and Fritz had singled out. At the moment the boy looked about ready to wet his pants.

"Bet you ten galleons he falls."

Fritz grinned at Monty's challenge and added his own.

"Bet you ten galleons he crashes."

Praying that the boy did neither, he didn't think he would be able to stomach it, Severus again attempted to keep track of the two as they swirled around high above the spectators heads, weaving around the towers and hoops as they chased the Snitch.

Whether Monty and Fritz were the top students in Divination Severus didn't know but sure enough a startled cry followed by a thud and a collective groan and gasps from the crowd later, the fourth grader laid on the ground, stunned but luckily unharmed, though his broom looked as if it had had an encounter with the Whomping Willow.

While a few others ran to assist him, a shout from across the field caught their attention.

"Behold to the great skills of Slytherin! Gryffindor beware!" James shouted, grinning as the rest of his house hooted and clapped.

Beside him Monty and the other players rose, looking more than willing to run over and pummel the insufferable Gryffindors into the ground.

"Sit down. We're better than that," Lex ordered and they obeyed, albeit reluctantly.

In the mean time Sean whistled as the ten minutes came to an end, the remaining flyer having been unable to catch the Snitch.

"You are both out," Sean told the two who hung their heads and collected their things and walk off, the fourth grader limping slightly. They were 'supported' by the Gryffindors who graciously applauded their efforts.

"Team three!" Lex shouted.

Lucius stepped forward and a sudden silence fell over the entire field. Even the Gryffindors shut up, James and Sirius taking on a much more serious personality.

"Same rules, same time-limit. The Snitch is still out there. On three!"

Though both riders mounted their brooms, all eyes were definitely on Lucius.

"This is going to be good," Fritz whispered to Thomas who nodded.

"One..! Two..! Three!"

"Whoa!" Sean and Lex stepped back, shielding their eyes as grass and the dirt beneath it went air born.

Severus could only watch in total awe. He was no player, but having only seen his take-off, he knew that Lucius had more than just 'mere skills'. Already a good thirty feet ahead of the fifth-grader and gaining more distance, Lucius suddenly made a dive; he had already found the Snitch.

"--His movements are flawless!--"

"--Check out the balance!--"

"--He's right on it!--"

"--did you see that barrel roll!--"

"--Man, I've never seen anybody move like that!--"

"--Is he...?--"

"--I don't believe it...!--"

"--He got the Snitch!--"

Sean's whistle echoed through the stadium, ending the round. Around him everyone burst in conversation, unable to believe it.

"1 minute, 14 seconds," Fritz whistled. "He caught the little bugger in less than two minutes!"

"You're kidding! No one has ever been that quick!"

Across the field, the Gryffindors were also talking, though from the looks they appeared somewhat...nervous? James was scowling, glowering at Lucius before standing and stalking away, his fellow Marauders following though Sirius didn't seem to be sharing his friend's distaste.

Sitting silently amongst his chattering house mates, Severus was still trying to understand what had just happened. One minute Lucius had taken off, the next he was returning to them, the glimmering wings on the Snitch still fluttering in his hand.

The blond touched down smoothly and dismounted. Aside from his hair which was slightly wind-tousled, Lucius looked as calm as ever, walking over to Lex and silently handing him the Snitch, which the captain accepted, eyes wide for a moment before a wide grin spread across his face.

"Team, meet our new Seeker!"

The players cheered and the others who had come to try-out applauded. They weren't stupid; to win they needed the best and none of them could even dream to compare to the new student.

Lucius blinked at the swift announcement but accepted it and nodded his thanks to Lex, accepting the strong handshake from his captain. Others crowded around him, slapping his back and congratulating him. The other players jogged over, hollering and cheering as they welcomed their new team mate. Lucius took it in stride, smiling and even laughing with them as he accepted the Seeker badge from Lex.

"We'll celebrate at Hogsmead! Drinks on me!" Lex shouted over the din to the other players, bringing on an even louder cheering.

Severus remained where he was on the now empty bench. He smiled softly, glad that Lucius had made the team. However, watching the small crowd around the blond, he sighed.

It was official; he was the loner once again. The players were bound to drag Lucius off to celebrate somewhere. Hell, his stuff had probably already been relocated to a new room in the dorms.

'At least I had a friend for a day...'

Giving the group another glance, he picked up his satchel and made his way off the field.

* * *

"Just give him a few of these roots every two hours for the next four days and he'll be fine."

"Thank you, Madam Mink." Severus smiled gratefully at the elderly witch, holding Pewter close as the toad contently borrowed into the cloth of his robes, glad to be reunited with its owner. "I was afraid that the leg was broken for good."

"Nothing a good bone-mending potion couldn't fix. You'd be amazed at how important potions can be."

"Oh, I know," he offered her a small smile. Looking up at the darkening skies, he decided it best to get going.

"You've better be off now," Professor Mink said as if having read his mind. "Come back if anything happens to Pewter, though I truly doubt it. Next to the injuries, he's in tip-top condition. You truly know how to look after you pet."

"Thank you, ma'am," he said again, blushing at the compliment.

She smiled and turned, walking back into the forest where she had been busy feeding a few stray creatures.

Holding his friend at eye-level, Severus smiled widely for the first time in the past hour.

"No matter what, I still have you, Pewter."

The big eyes blinked as Pewter paused with chewing his owner's thumb, tilting his wide head to one side as if understanding the pale boy's feelings.

"Let's go inside, don't want you catching a cold now."

Holding Pewter close, he quickly made his way back to his lonely room. Underway, though,he changed his mind and instead he went to the library, intent on getting some homework done.

Madam Novell looked up from her ever standing pile of papers as he walked by her desk. She, like the books, was pretty aged and somewhat vague. But her books and the library were her children and she had rules for about every single thing. Warnings were posted everywhere and a few spells had been cast about; the very air was triggered with a snared spell which took away a person's voice for a day or two if they spoke too loud.

Despite the many booby-traps and the stuffy atmosphere, the library was his favourite place in the entire school. He loved reading and the solitude the place offered but also no one could play any pranks on him or call him something from across the room so he was usually able to get some work done.

Though it only was the second day of the new year, the library was pretty full; nervous first-years wanting to make good impressions on their teachers sat together at the tables while the seventh year students milled around, looking through books for their final OWL's and NEWT's.

Not about to sit amongst the first-graders and with no other empty table in sight, Severus continued on further into the library, looking about for a table.

Upon walking pass another staggering bookshelf, he found a table with only two students but hesitated. Two red-headed girls sat next to each other as they discussed something over a musty book, making notes and referring to pictures. Neither had noticed him yet and he started to turn to walk away when one of the two suddenly looked up, her jaded green eyes meeting his dark ones.

"Severus?" She looked around before smiling. "Come on, there's more than enough room for one more."

At her voice the other, pudgier, red-head looked up too.

"Aye, it would be kinda selfish of us to hog this table."

Few, VERY few students, though not what he could call friends, talked to him and these were two of them and it would be rude to decline the offer.

"Thanks," he said softly and began to take a seat when he caught sight of the third satchel. A sudden thought struck and he froze, staring back up at Lily.

Catching sight of what had worried him, she smiled and shook her head.

"That's Arthur's satchel; he's looking for a book somewhere over there. James isn't here."

Relieved, he sat down and started to take his things out of his bag.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked.

"Yeah..."

"I heard what James and Sirius did yesterday. I'm really sorry. I gave him a good scolding but he never listens." She sighed, leaning back in her seat. "Sometimes I wonder why I put up with him."

"Because he is popular and good-looking?" Molly quipped, earning a playful shove from her friend.

Watching the two interact he was briefly reminded of the short-lived friendship he had shared with Lucius but he pushed it out of his head. Instead he leaned over and began to scribble away on his parchment. Footsteps brought Arthur Weasley to the table.

"I found that Pickle-Berry beetle's origins but the...oh, hello!" he said when he caught sight of the newcomer. "How are you doing?"

"I'll live."

Not deterred by the short answer, he took a seat next to the pale boy.

"Fascinating facts in History today, weren't they? I would have never thought that muggle ancestors could have moved such huge blocks to build those pyromites."

"It's pyramids, Arthur," Molly rolled her eyes though there was a sparkle of amusement in them.

"Still, how did they ever do it without magic? Are muggles really that strong? Did they lift it on their backs?"

"Let's just focus on this Transfiguration first, and then we can talk about the History assignment," Lily suggested, knowing that if they let him Arthur would spend the whole afternoon, and evening, talking about the wonderful world of muggles.

"Yeah, good idea. Then I'll show you a few artefacts I've found that came from the muggle world. Took me a lot of searching at Diagon Alley and all of my pocket-galleons but they are worth it!"

"Deal. Alright, now how--"

"Wait a minute?" Arthur interrupted Molly as he turned to Severus before looking around. "Where's the new guy?"

"Huh?" Severus blinked, having been in deep concentration when the other boy tapped his arm.

"I thought I saw you with the new student. Heck, you were almost inseparable for the past two days."

Lily and Molly must have wondered the same thing but being more polite, if not insightful, they had kept their inquiries to themselves. Arthur was not so subtle.

"Oh…well...I...he..."

He couldn't find any sensible words. What was he to say; 'Oh sure, we were best friends but now he's in a better crowd so he doesn't want to be around me anymore'?

"He's new so he probably has other things to do. Maybe he's taking extra lessons or something," Lily offered, taking Arthur's focus off of Severus as the Slytherin looked flustered.

"Really? Doubt it. A Malfoy doesn't need extra lessons. Or, that's what I heard."

This got everyone at the table's attention.

"What do you know about him? You haven't even spoken to him yet."

His freckles disappeared beneath a blush that spread till his ears, almost matching his hair.

"Ah...I kinda...you see..."

"Arthur Weasley!" Molly snapped as softly as she could. "Have you been snooping around in the student files again?"

"No!" he denied loudly, just barely remaining within the noise limit. Quickly dropping his voice, he leaned forward and whispered again, "No, I haven't."

"So how do you know?" Lily challenged, also leaning forward though out of curiosity.

Severus, more intrigued than any of them, remained silent.

Looking around nervously, Arthur said in a serious voice,

"Okay, listen, nothing, nothing I say is allowed to leave this table, understood? I trust you guys to keep it a secret. Don't tell anyone."

Molly and Lily nodded, swearing an oath. Arthur then turned to Severus, silently asking the same of him.

Anxious to learn anything about the mysterious blond, he raised his hand in swear.

Hesitating for a moment, Arthur then began to speak.

"It's like this; my dad works at the Ministry, as you all know. During the summer vacation he brought me there a few times; he keeps saying that I should familiarize myself with the building if ever I should go work there after Hogwarts. Do you know that they have a special department for Muggles? I've filled out a few applications and--"

"Arthur, get to the point!" Molly broke in.

"Oh, yeah, right, sorry about that," he blushed again. "Anyways, one day my dad asked me to send off some mail for him. I don't think he had expected me back so soon because when I returned he was talking to a close co-worker of his about some big incident which had put the Ministry in over-time to cover-up. Apparently something had happened that was supposed to stay Top Secret. You know, hush-hush business."

By now they were all practically laying on the table, engrossed in the story.

"What had happened?" Molly asked.

"Don't really know. I do know, though, that it had something to do with the Malfoy family."

When he received blank stares it was his turn to look incredulous.

"You've never heard of the name Malfoy?"

All three shook their heads though something in the back of Severus' head clicked. Now that Arthur had brought it up...he could have sworn he had heard that name before Lucius had come to Hogwarts.

"Malcolm Malfoy is one of the top figures at the Ministry. Many think that he'll be the next minister! Smart to the book and able to confront anyone and come out on top. Pop says that simply being in the same room as him makes you feel tiny and insignificant."

"But who is this Malcom..." Lily's eyes widened, "Is he Lucius' father?"

Arthur nodded.

"Like father, like son. From what I've heard Malcolm has pruned Lucius into the perfect heir. Which is why I don't believe that he needs any extra classes; he's said to have been the best student at his former school."

"So why did he change schools?"

'…I've heard that the reason why you came to Hogwarts is because you were expelled from your former school…'

James' words came back to Severus and he couldn't help frowning. If Lucius had been such a good student, why had he been expelled? And how would James know of it?

"That's what's being hushed up. Whatever it was made Malcolm either really shaken or really angry. My dad said he paid hundreds of thousands of galleons to have people fix the situation. All I know is that whatever it is it has really brought the Ministry in a tizzy, and that means that it's big."

No one spoke, all of them wondering the exact same thing.

What could Lucius, a gentle, soft-spoken and intelligent boy, have possibly done to create such havoc?

Tbc...

* * *

Read & Review, please. 


	6. Clash Of The Cliques

Title: Finding Severus

Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: T

Summary: see chapter one

Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

A/N: I had to watch the third Harry Potter movie a dozen or so times but I was finally inspired enough to make another attempt to continue this fic. Also, the movie really helped establish Remus Lupin's character for me. He's really such a sweet guy!

* * *

The three Gryffindors had excused themselves in order to get ready for dinner but he remained behind to finish his homework…for the upcoming three weeks. Anything to keep his mind off of Lucius.

Before he knew it Madam Novell was standing before him, informing him that she was closing up. Looking around, he was surprised to see that the entire place was empty, everyone having left a long time ago. Apologizing profusely, he quickly began to put away his things.

"You've got a real love for books, Snape. Nothing apologetic about that," the elderly woman complimented. "Will you be taking that with you?" She nodded at the book.

"Yes, please, ma'am."

"I'll register it and leave it on the counter so you can take it on your way out."

"Thank you."

"Such a nice young man," she muttered, more to herself as she walked away.

Somehow Severus firmly believed that it was his relationship with Madam Novell that had cemented him the title of Teacher's pet. Every student in Hogwarts had a teacher, or teachers, with whom they got along with better than others. Even Syntrad, notorious for his strict and somewhat vengeful attitude, was favored by a small handful of students. Madam Novell, however, was liked by no one. No one. School gossip had it that she wasn't even tolerated in the teacher's lounge, on her worst of days.

Severus could honestly not recall anything he could have done in his six years attending Hogwarts to earn the unattainable, if not non-existing, human-interaction from the librarian. Granted, he did spend all of his free time here and he always made sure to return the books he borrowed on time, with no marks or torn pages. And yes, he would sometimes re-organize any stray books in the seemingly endless bookcases when they had been carelessly misplaced by another student, but that was purely habitual.

Nonetheless, Madam Novell actually made conversations with him every time he came. It wasn't a strange event to have her warmly greet him good-afternoon while standing before her was a terrified first-grader who she was giving a tongue-lashing for folding donkey-ears in the books to help remember his place better.

If it was any consolation; at least Severus never had to worry about any teachers giving him a hard time. Though he was a below average student in Ancient Ruines, he excelled in his other classes and he did his best and that's what really counter. To the teachers, anyways.

Having returned the other books to their right shelves, quite an undertaking in itself, he carefully picked up his satchel (Pewter was fast asleep inside) and headed for the front of the library where his chosen book had indeed been left on the long counter. Madam Novell was no where in sight, most likely in the back room doing inventory, so he left a small note simply thanking her and wishing her a good evening. Which was being polite, not a suck-up.

The halls were quiet; dinner was still underway according to the large clock on the wall. Then again, Peeves the Pest had a fetish for resetting the school's time system. Most clock, those in more publicly used places, had been charmed with impenetrable spells but others in lesser visited halls and corridors were susceptible to the pesky poltergeist.

"What are you doing out here?" a gruff voice grumbled as a shadowy figure emerged from the doorway to his right. A grey-blue cat slinked to a sitting position beside the worn boots as Filch the caretaker stepped into the hall.

In his forties, Argus Filch wasn't exactly someone one would associate with anything remotely related to 'care'. But that he was and had been for twenty years, which lead to many rumors about his intelligence and education. A well-spread tale was that he was actually a squib, but since no proof was available and the teachers refused to talk about it, it all remained just rumors.

Squib or not, Filch's lot in life was destined to amount to nothing. He had been labeled as Mrs. Novell's male-counterpart; a title even more dubious than 'Madam Novell's favorite student', which Snape was the record holder of. Perpetually grumpy with a look on his face as if he was sucking lemons and smelling Hippogriff dung, Filch patrolled the school like a predator patrolled its domain while stalking unfortunate prey. A stickler for 'old school' punishment, he was always trying to convince Headmaster Dumbledore to bring back the earlier correction methods, particularly one which included hanging undisciplined students by their ankles in the dungeons.

Always wearing dirty and ragged clothes, his hair thin and graying, Filch's appearance was grubby and one wondered how he could possible look after an entire school when he couldn't even do a decent job on himself. Even his cat, Mrs. Twichit, rumored to have satanic powers, which wasn't too farfetched as the feline seemed to always know where trouble was and had a gaze that was near frightening, had a better upkeep.

Squinting from beneath sparse eyebrow, Filch snorted softly.

"Snape. This ain't the dining hall."

"I'm not hungry," he replied.

"Don't think you can get something from the kitchen at night."

"I know that."

"You're not supposed to be sneaking around the halls at this hour."

'Like what you're doing?'

Out loud he said,

"I'm just returning from the library, sir."

"Well keep walking. I ain't got time to be escorting strays."

"Yes, sir. Good night."

While the confrontation might have seemed 'harsh', by Filch-standards it was as close to a decent interaction then most people ever got out of him. Severus never caused the caretaker any headaches so the man was not as suspicious of him as he was towards the rest of the school student population.

"Ey, Snape!" Filch's voice grated from down the hall. "That new student was looking for you!" And with that he continued, fully disappearing.

Had he meant Lucius? Severus' brows furrowed. Deep in pensive thoughts, he almost walked into yet another person who was coming from the opposite direction. Both stopped just in time though the person was at first unrecognizable to Severus as he had a teetering stack of books in his hands, almost blocking his face completely.

"Oh, sorry about that," Lupin said first, juggling the pile. "Can't really see very well around these."

"It's okay," Severus replied, looking around and finding to his great relief that the Gryffindor was alone.

"Research for Astrology," the pale teen explained, indicating to the books. "I'm teamed up with Sirius, which means I'll basically be doing everything. Not that Sirius won't help, but…I'd like to pass this class."

Severus appreciated the jab at the teen's friend but only nodded.

Lupin hesitated, apparently wanting to continue the conversation but unable to come up with a topic. Here was another one of the precious few people who spoke to him. Ironic, however, since, when present, his friends spent their meeting ridiculing or beating the daylights out of Severus.

"Madam Novell was closing up," Severus offered. "But you can return them if you hurry."

"Oh, thanks," Lupin gratefully said. "I don't want to get too much on her bad side."

He nodded again, stepping aside to allow the Gryffindor to pass. Debating for a minute, he added.

"Filch's in the lower corridors."

"Guess that means I'll have to take the stairs," Lupin sighed, but then smiled. "Thanks for the warning. Good evening, Severus."

What freak spell could possibly be keeping someone of Lupin's intellect and discipline with those troublesome idiots? Severus always believed that, if Lupin had been assigned to Slytherin, or if Potter and Black's heads were to spontaneously combust (he personally wished for the latter), he and Lupin would have been something of companions. Lupin shared a passion for reading and was a serious student. And while he was better on a broomstick than Severus, he neither saw the great excitement in Quidditch.

Alas, this encounter with a lone Lupin was a 1 in a 100 chance event. He didn't know what mischief Potter and Black were up to but it was rare to see any member of the Marauders alone for more than an hour. It was like a herd of sheep: one could run through them countless of times but they always regroup quickly.

The image of Potter and Black covered in wool while chewing on grass in a field brought a small chuckle from him as he continued on to his room.

* * *

Stuck with the nursery rhyme of 'Bah-Bah Black sheep' in his head all the way, Severus had actually forgotten Filch's words until he opened the door that lead to his room only to find his room mate lying on his own bed, schoolwork spread out before him as he wrote. Vanima was happily sleeping on her master's back, head resting between the blonde's shoulder blades though the sound of the door opening got both their attention.

"Hey," Lucius greeted, about to rise but deciding against it when Vanima meowed in protest. Shooting the smug feline an exasperated glare, he settled back down, meeting Severus' semi-amused expression. "She's had me pinned here for the past hour."

Remembering why he hadn't seen the blond for the past hour, and the time before that, Severus looked away, walking over to his bed to put down his satchel. The front pocket flapped open and out tumbled Pewter, blinking disoriented before recognizing his surroundings. With a loud croak he began wobbling about, almost reaching the edge of the bed before Severus caught him and placed him back in the middle where he stayed, trying to eat the satchel's buckle-strap.

"He looks good," Lucius said, studying the toad he had last seen sporting broken bones.

"Mrs. Mink is a very good healer."

His obvious unease was quickly noticed by the blond who now studied him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Where were you?"

"In the library, though I went to pick up Pewter first."

"Why didn't you come with us? One moment you were on the bench and the next minute you were gone. We looked for you but you were no where so we had to go ahead without you." He rubbed his eyes. "Remind me to never go to Hogsmead with those guys ever again."

At this plea Severus looked up from where he had been collecting his sleeping clothes and towel.

"Why? I thought you liked your new team mates."

"I do," Lucius confirmed, stretching beneath Vanima though the cat still refused to budge. "It's Hogsmead I don't like. I'm not one who enjoys places like that. And the drinks they serve…I've drunken champagne and wine at parties before and occasionally a glass of whiskey. But ale is simply disgusting. It tastes like…"

"Opert fruit juice gone bad?" he couldn't help offering; he also held a strong dislike for ale.

"Exactly. Yet the team stayed on for a third round…or was it fourth? Anyways, I took my leave saying that I had homework to do. I came back to school to look for you and another student suggested your presence in the library but I sort of got lost underway."

"You were looking for me?" he asked, surprised, his early assumptions now starting to haze around the edges.

"You left so soon I figured you had something important to do, but I wanted to ask you if you wanted to study together," the blond shrugged, the action jarring Vanima who opened an annoyed eye. "I met up with a certain Mr. Filch while wandering about. He wouldn't show me to the library, he said it was too far out of his way, but he did point me back to the main hall. After that I decided to simply return to the dorm and wait for you."

"You did…"

"Yes. Tell me something, Severus; Mr. Filch, is he always like that?"

"Like what?"

"Well, when I approached him in the hall he looked at me as if I had insulted him. Whenever I tried to ask him something he snapped and he basically stalked off without a single word after showing me to the main hall. I honestly cannot recall having said or done anything to have offended him."

Perhaps it was wise to inform the blond that Filch's reaction was undoubtedly caused by Lucius' mere appearance. As aforementioned, Filch was about as attractive as an old dish cloth and smelled twice as bad. When in the presence of someone as stunning as Lucius only accentuated this to the caretaker. Simply put: Lucius' beauty brought out the beast in Filch.

"He's cranky with everyone," Severus finally replied when he realized the other was waiting for an explanation. "Though he gets kinda defensive when people with…physical advantages are around him."

"…Oh," Lucius said, catching on to his implication. For some reason those vibrant eyes turned to look at his perfect reflection in the floor mirror standing a few feet away against the wall and something passed in them, taking away their brightness. Looking away from the mirror, rather quickly in Severus' opinion, he returned to his homework though asked is a soft voice, "Were you able to find what you wanted in the library?"

"Yes…I was."

'Plus something I hadn't been searching for.'

Arthur's inside information had almost slipped completely from his mind until he had seen the shadow in the blonde's eyes in the mirror's reflection.

"Severus…why did you leave the field?"

He stopped half-way to the door to go take a shower. Turning around, he found the still dimmed eyes on him.

"I figured you'd want to spend some time with your friends."

Lucius looked even more puzzled.

"So why did you leave?"

"I just figured you'd want to hang out with another crowd," he replied, trying to hint towards the blond without saying it outright.

"I do indeed want to meet other people, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to be your friend anymore." He chuckled, though still a bit stiffly. "If you'd come with us then maybe you would have been able to point out a quieter place, like a coffee shop or something. Neither of us are--"

"Come on, Lucius!" he said, for the first time speaking with an exasperated tone towards the blond. "Look at me! I'm not the type of person who fits in with that crowd, no matter where they go! I have no talent on a broom! Hell, I can't even sit on one, while on the ground! I'm not good-looking or popular. I can't tell great jokes or…whatever! We're too different! You're one of them now; you've always been one of them. You belong with them!"

The room fell silent after his near-tirade. Even Vanima and Pewter stared at the pale teen with wide eyes as he composed himself, brushing his ever annoying bangs out of his eyes while taking deep breaths. Lucius said nothing, but those eyes had slowly taken on the icy chill which each word that had been unwisely spewed.

Realizing only too late what he had accused the blond of, Severus paled even more.

"Lucius…"

"I'll finish my homework in the common room," the blond replied frostily, closing his books and rising from his bed, leaving Vanima to fall with a harmless bounce on the mattress.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think--"

"No, you didn't," Lucius said, passing him without making any eye contact. "You don't know anything about me. "I am not like them, Severus. As my friend, I had hoped you had at least realized that. Thank you for proving me wrong."

And he was gone, walking out the door and closing it soundly shut behind him.

Standing alone, Severus finally moved, almost numbly, and sat down on his bed, replaying what had just happened. Pewter slowly crawled over, staring at his rejected owner with those bulbous eyes.

"I shouldn't have said that, should I?" he asked softly, wringing his towel in his lap. "Damn it! Why did I say that! I didn't mean it! I didn't!"

By now Vanima had crossed over onto his bed, sitting next to Pewter, also curios at the teen's behavior. Seeing the two creatures sitting so peacefully side-by-side, Severus blinked, rubbing the tears out of his eyes.

"Guess you two are friends, huh?" As if understanding him, both looked at each other for a moment before looking back. "You wouldn't be so stupid to say what I did…"

Two days. In just two days he'd managed to meet who would have been his only good friend. And as sudden as it had started, it had ended. And, worse of all, it had been him who had made that final call, intentionally or not.

Tbc...

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A/N: No, I didn't make a mistake. Mrs. Twitchit (animal OC) is Filch's cat in this story. Think about it, a cat lives for an average of 12 to 15 years. Snape is in histhirties in the books (my estimation). There's no way Mrs. Norris could have been around when he attended Hogwarts. Unless she really is a satanic cat…hmmm.

Read & Review, please.


	7. Letters And Notes

Title: Finding Severus

Authoress: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: PG-13

Summary: see chapter one

Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Any and all unrecognizable characters belong solely to me and are not to be touched. I am not making any money off of this and I write with the sole intention to entertain.

A/N: A few e-mails asked for the names of the Slytherin Quidditch team since it tends to get confusing. The players are: Lexington "Lex" Wheeler (captain/chaser); Thomas Koost and Monty Redtown (chasers); Sean Ubernauch and Fritz Desras (beaters); Shirley Sletschky (keeper); and, of course, Lucius Malfoy (seeker).

Wow, it's been a while. I'm focussing on my anime fics but I suddenly got the urge to update this one.

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"All right then. Grip your Mandrakes--Redtown, stop jabbing it! As I was saying, grip them tightly by the roots and on my count, pull them out of the pot and put them into the bigger one and quickly cover them with dirt. We don't want them catching a cold now, do we? Redtown, this is your final warning! Put those down!"

Everyone snickered as the Slytherin boy dropped the pruning sheers he had been using to poke holes into his mandrake's leaves, much to the plump creature's irritation. Ruffling her coat, her round face red from the cold as well as frustration, Madam Sprout returned her attention to the rest of the class.

"Everyone ready?"

Obediently, all hands took a hold of their quivering specimen, ear-muffs in place to protect them from the shattering squeals that were soon to erupt once the plant-creatures had been tugged from their precious earth.

Severus, at the front of long table, waited as the pudgy teacher bustled around the class one last time, making sure that everyone was holding the leaves right, since they tore easily. Taking the time, he nervously looked down the line. This year Slytherin and Ravenclaw shared Herbology classes, which suited him just fine since Hufflepuffs tended to be too weak-hearted and the Gryffindors would mean being stuck in a confined space with many sharp objects and his two arch enemies, Potter and Black.

Quite a number of students had decided to continue Herbology, despite a rather traumatic year last year in which they had been put in charge of a batch rather vicious, and large, snapping plants from some tropical land. Thankfully, they were now covering the basics once more to prepare for their OWL's.

Looking back past the other Slytherins, he had no trouble finding the gold-platinum head as Lucius was the only blond in the class. Actually, he was the only full blond in the entire house. Currently, he was studying the leaves in his gloved hand with mild interest, seemingly listening to Lex who was talking about something (no doubt Quidditch) though the blond only nodded every now and then, bright eyes focused on something invisible between him and the potted weed. However, the eyes raised when he felt the stare.

Severus froze, unsure what to do. Look away? Smile? A little wave? A casual nod? Anything?

Lucius decided for him and turned away once more without a single gesture, eyes now even darker than before.

Feeling sick to his stomach, Severus sighed, looking down with a defeated expression.

"All right now. Everyone seems to have gotten the idea," Madam Sprout nodded, waddling back to the front of the class. "Grips firm and on three! One…Two…Three!"

The glass walls behind them almost shattered when forty students yanked free their mandrakes, which released a chorused ruckus of shrieks, squeals and whines, trashing about with their stumpy limbs, trying to scratch their aggressors with small claws. Two thuds revealed that a couple of students had neglected to put on their earmuffs correctly.

"Just leave them," Madam Sprout waved off when others went to help their fallen friends though she hurried over to pick up the now unconscious students' mandrakes and expertly buried them. "Now put them in their new pots. Quickly now! Make sure that they are right in the center and that no limbs are in a painful position. Redtown, give me those sheers!"

Not looking up as the short woman went over to wrestle said sheers from the tall Quidditch player's hands, Severus scooped several handful of dirt into the pot, patting it down around the creature, carefully pulling back every now and then as it nipped, or tried to anyways, at his hand. Herbology, besides Potions, was his favorite subject, but today his heart and mind wasn't really up for it.

The entire weekend, and most of this week, had been spent alone. Not that he was unused to that but…It could have been different. Instead of sitting by himself in the room all day he could have been with a certain blond who was now ignoring him. And since Lucius was ignoring him, everyone else was too. Except for Potter and Black, but that wasn't something he'd consider an honor. The only time he saw Lucius was when it came time to go to bed. That was the worst. He had tried starting a conversation with his roommate the first night after his outburst but Lucius had answered either with one or two words, or hadn't answered at all. He gave up and instead would pretend to be reading whenever the blond was in the room.

'It's my own fault. My own stupid mistake. Lucius has all rights to be angry at me. But…I don't know why I said that. Actually, I do, but I didn't mean that he was a snob or anything. We're just too…different. Even he must see that, right?'

Whatever Lucius' thoughts were on the incident, the blond was not sharing any of them with him. He would return Severus' stares with an impassive one and most of the time he'd break off the staring first. He didn't greet the pale boy when they passed each other in the hall. They no longer sat next to each other in class; Lucius now sat either alone or with the Quidditch players though sometimes one of the braver girls would saddle up next to him. Dinner time was also spent alone. No, he hadn't been booted to the end of the table by the Quidditch team; he still sat in the same place, but none of the players were speaking to him. He doubted anyone knew what had happened as he certainly hadn't told anyone and Lucius didn't seem the type to tattle, but even a blind troll would have noticed the sudden tension between them. He had heard students asking Lucius about it but the blond would merely walk off or tell them that it was nothing. Still, everyone in the school knew by now that the unlikely duo had split.

Everyone, including the pests of Gryffindor.

His wrist, which bones had to be re-grown two days ago, had been payback for…well, he couldn't keep track of what he had done to bless himself with the Marauders' wrath, but Potter and Black had cornered him in an empty class room and hadn't let him out until he had been sporting a bloody nose (again) and a badly mangled wrist. He was now also in need of some new robes and a proper satchel. Of course, the two assailants had been punished by the school, but that only gave them another reason to get back at him in the near future. It was an endless cycle.

So basically, he was right back where he started. Correction, he was even worse off. Because he had had a taste of friendship and now he sorely missed it.

Pouring the final handful of dirt in the pot just as the bell rang, Severus patted it down firmly though his eyes wandered behind dark bangs to where Lucius, having long finished replanting the mandrake, was now collecting his bag as Lex and Monty continued to discuss new strategies (one including an sudden-gravity hex on the Gryffindors beaters), but Lucius was still not an active participant, even as he followed his team mates out of the green house. This left Severus by himself as everyone else had filed out too.

"Snape, are you alright?"

He jumped, having forgotten about the teacher, who was currently replanting Monty's mandrake, which he had buried upside down, with a frown on her face.

"I'm fine," he answered, removing his gloves.

"You were awfully quiet in class today. Not that you ever disrupt the class or anything, but you didn't even raise a hand or answered a single question I asked."

"I'm a bit behind on my work."

She gave him a highly doubting look.

"In all the years I've known you I have never experienced you lagging behind. If you don't want to talk about it to me than you should at least go to Headmaster Dumbledore. The staff is very concerned for you, you know. I'm not the only one who has noticed your strange behavior."

"I won't fall behind again," he promised, slinging his temporary satchel (an old one he had managed to conjure up from home) over his shoulder.

"We are not worried about your work!" she snapped rather harshly, putting her hands on her hips. "You know what I am talking about. We don't want you to do anything to yourself like last time. There isn't anything wrong at home, is there?"

This conversation had strayed into hated territory.

"No, and I would rather we don't continue carrying on this conversation, Madam Sprout."

Sighing, she shook her head, graying ringlets bouncing around her face.

"Just talk to Dumbledore, Snape. If it hadn't been for him you wouldn't be standing here. I'm sure he can help you this time as well."

"Perhaps. Good afternoon, Madam Sprout."

"I'll see you on Thursday," she answered, watching him as he left, a worried look on her round face. 'Sweet Merlin, please don't let it be like last time…'

Just to make sure, she left a short note on the door informing the next class to wait for her and quickly made her way towards the castle.

* * *

The knock made him raise his head from where he had been pouring over his Astrology book. Frowning as he could not begin to fathom as to who it could be, he bid them enter nonetheless though he quickly scrambled to his feet when the tall form that stepped in turned out to be none other than the headmaster himself.

"Sir," he nodded respectfully, though warily.

"Good evening, Severus," Dumbledore smiled, looking around the room. "My my my, we should start having inter-house competitions for the neatest rooms! This is one is a sure winner. I only wished some of your fellow Slytherins would see the importance, and health benefits, of a room with no food remains strewn about."

Unable to not smile back at the old wizards' beam, he nodded though remained edgy. He had a strong suspicion as to why the headmaster was here, though. That was the last time he'd ever linger behind in Herbology.

"Did Madam Sprout asked you to speak to me, sir?" he asked softly.

"Why yes. And, coincidentally, I heard that you had been advised to speak to me too. However, since you weren't in the dinner hall I decided that perhaps it was best that I take the initiative and come to you."

Speaking of which, dinner couldn't be over yet; it was too early. Did that mean that the headmaster had left his meal just to search him out?

"I'm terribly sorry for keeping you away from your dinner, sir," he apologized, lowering his head. "Please don't skip your meal on my account."

"Oh tut tut," the ancient wizard waved off, taking a seat on an empty bed. "Besides, this is but one meal. If I recall correctly, I haven't seen you eat dinner for the past three days. You're not stealing food from the house elves during the night, are you?"

"No, sir!" he gasped, shaking his head frantically before calming down. "I mean, I would never do that. I suppose that…maybe I'm just coming down with something."

"You were in the infirmary a couple of days ago. Madam Pickle would have detected it." Those deep eyes peered at him from behind half-moon spectacles and the older wizard adopted a more serious expression. "Severus, is something wrong?"

Whereas he had been able to easily lie to Madam Sprout, though he disliked lying to teachers, he always found himself incapable of telling so much as a fib to the headmaster. Dumbledore had a way of making people tell the truth. Perhaps it was all a subtle spell, but Severus believed that it had more to do with the wise professor's reliable nature. Dumbledore never, ever judged others blindly.

"Is it your father?" Dumbledore continued when he didn't say anything.

Again he shook his head, eyes wide.

"I didn't think so. You haven't written to home since the start of the year, though I do encourage to at least write to your mother to let her know how you're getting along."

"Father will only read it first; he never lets her read any of her letters without his approval," he said, slumping back down on his bed. "But there's nothing going on at home that is bothering me."

"So it's this school?"

"…Yes."

"Could it, by any chance, have something to do with Lucius Malfoy?"

The topic was bound to have come up some time or the other.

"It has."

"Could it also have something to do with the fact that the both of you seem to be somewhat distant?"

"Yes."

Dumbledore said nothing and merely sat, hands resting comfortably on his robed lap, clear eyes focused on the boy on the opposite side of the room.

"I…said something to him last week," he began. "I really regret it now, and looking back my words were rather heartless and untrue. Lucius is very angry about it and now he doesn't even want to look at me. And I don't know what to do about it."

"Why would you want to do something about it?" was the wise question.

"Because…he's my friend. At least, he thought he was. I ruined it."

"What did you tell him?"

"He had just been chosen as the new seeker and…I thought that he'd want to spend more time with the team so I left. He asked me about it later in here and I basically said that we couldn't be friends because he was like them now."

"Like them now?" Dumbledore repeated, brow wrinkled in confusion.

Scuffing his feet on the floor, he muttered something too soft for the wizard to hear.

"I'm sorry?"

"Popular," he repeated louder. "I told him that he was just like them, the popular kids; that he belonged with that group."

Dumbledore sighed, pushing his glasses higher up his long nose.

"That explains it."

"It does?"

"I know that you would not tell another soul, but I cannot tell you about Lucius or his past. However, what I can tell you is that what you said has most likely greatly upset, not angered, him."

"Sir…I know a bit about him."

"Oh?" a bushy brow rose.

"I've heard from Ar-…a reliable source that Lucius transferred to Hogwarts because there had been a serious problem at his old school; so serious, in fact, that the Ministry of Magic had to cover it up. Is this true?"

Looking over his glasses for a moment, Dumbledore sighed.

"And who did you hear this from?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I won't snitch."

That brought a small smile to the elder wizard's face.

"I know you won't."

They sat in silence for a while.

"I liked having him as a friend. Just having someone to talk to about the most insignificant things. I never knew how lonesome it was before meeting him. I…I do…"

"Unfortunately there is not a spell nor potion that can give you true friendship. That, my dear Severus, must come from within. You truly do regret your actions and you didn't mean to offend Lucius, I'm sure."

The door opened slightly further as Vanima's dark form slinked in, trotting with her tail held proudly high. Jumping onto the bed next to the headmaster, she rubbed her head against his arm, purring loudly. He indulged her and scratched her behind her ear. Not long after the door was pushed fully open and Lucius himself entered, leafing through a book though he stopped when he noticed the surprise guest.

"Headmaster," he nodded respectfully, not acknowledging Severus. "You were missed in the dining room for the rest of the meal."

"I was only having a healthy chat with Severus," he answered, getting to his feet. He popped his back with a grunt. "These old bones do not have a liking for those damnable stairs anymore, though. I do believe it's time to install those elevators contraptions that muggles are so fond of."

By then the two students had made eye contact. Lucius looked away again, his book held against his chest as he stared at the far wall. An uncomfortable silence settle between them all. Dumbledore looked at him and with a subtle tilt of his head he nodded towards the blond. Severus wanted to shake his head and go back to reading but the ancient wizard gave him a sterner look. With much trepidation, he cleared his throat.

"Lucius?"

The aqua-hued eyes glanced aloofly askance.

"Yes, Snape?"

He shrunk back at the icy tone.

Dumbledore, however, smiled.

"I see you two wish to discus something so I'll be on my way now. Do not stay up too late. Pleasant dreams."

Not waiting for their farewells, he ruffled Vanima's fur, much to her displeasure, and walked out the room, closing the door behind him. Again, the stifling silence prevailed. Him sitting on his bed, uncertainly looking over to Lucius who was staring resolutely ahead once more.

"What is it that the headmaster implied you wanted to tell me?" Lucius finally said when another full minute had passed.

His confidence wavered. Lucius was truly angry with him. Or upset. Or both. Words had done the damage, yet now they didn't seem sufficient to repair it.

He was spared by a ticking sound on the window above his bed. An owl sat outside. It was a dirty ash-grey with cloudy yellow eyes. Staring at it, Severus swallowed as he recognized it at once. It belonged to his family, but only one individual used it, forbidding others to send any messages or letters without his permission and approval. The creature pecked at the glass again, now getting fed up with being kept waiting. Just like its owner…

Lucius, seeing that he was now preoccupied, merely walked over to his bed and began going through his bag, collecting his homework which he would take downstairs to make in the common room.

Getting to his knees, Severus reached up and opened the window. At once the owl flew inside, circling the entire room before perching itself on the foot post of his bed, its dangerously long talons scraping the fine wood. It squawked a deep, threatening squawk and held out a heavy leg, the note attached to it held in place by coarse rope. When he didn't remove it at once the owl shrieked again, waving its leg, the sharp beak snapping in warning. Compelled to act before the beast became too irate, he unenthusiastically removed the letter, wincing when he noticed exactly what type of letter he held in his hands. The owl, having done its task, flew past him, almost slicing him with its claws, and out the window, returning to its place of origin as it had been strictly trained to do.

Turning the letter over in his hands nervously, he didn't open it. A howler was something that was best opened when alone, though somehow the vile things always seemed to find their way into their intendeds' hands in the company of a large group, or one former friend, as was the case. He didn't want to risk leaving it unopened; the outcome would be disastrous, as he found out the first time. He had hoped to get a chance to talk to Lucius but now he wanted nothing more than the blond to leave the room so that he may deal with this letter. Lucius, however, was searching through his trunk for something, smooth brow furrowed as the item kept on eluding him.

In his hand, Severus felt the letter begin to tremble. He could practically feel the rage from its contents seeping out of it. Praying to himself, he kept watching the blond, waiting for the other to leave. Now searching his satchel once more, muttering to himself, his room mate didn't notice his staring. He winced when the edge of the envelope cut his fingers as it grew more and more aggressive. This was going to be a very unpleasant scolding. Dumbledore was right; he should have written home earlier. Now _he_ was angry.

Finally, Lucius found his missing ink pot and stuffing it in his satchel he stood and strode out the room, clicking softly to Vanima who accordingly followed. Not a single word or look. Just walked by and closed the door shut behind him. Severus couldn't stop himself from sighing. Now to open the howler and get it over with. It took him several tries to get the seal of the envelope open as the letter was now angrily fluttering about in his hands, but the moment he succeeded it leapt up into the air, floating before him as it took on the resemblance of a sneering mouth.

"I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH REBELLIOUS BEHAVIOR, BOY! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO WRITE ME THE MOMENT YOU ARRIVED AND HERE A WEEK HAS GONE BY WITHOUT A SINGLE WORD! DO I HAVE TO COME TO HOGWARTS AND REMIND YOU HOW MUCH I DISLIKE SUCH ATTITUDE? ONE MORE STUNT, SEVERUS, _ONE _MORE SIGN OF DISOBEDIENCE AND YOU WILL BE COMING STRAIGHT HOME WHERE I WILL BEAT LOYALTY BACK IN TO YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME? IGNORE MY ORDERS AGAIN AND I WILL WHIP YOU TILL YOU'RE BLOODY AND UNABLE TO MOVE! THAT'S A PROMISE!"

He jumped when the raging letter then incinerated into ashes, fluttering harmlessly down onto his sheets. Breathing heavily, he stared at it for a moment before swatting the debris away with shaking hands, the threat still ringing in his ears. That voice…He could see his father standing there, thin lips snarling as he shouted and cursed, threatening to teach him a lesson each and every time he did something to displease him. A threat that was always carried out, either by a belt, crop or hex.

Pewter, having been awoken by the howler from where he had been asleep on a book on the bed, waddles over, tasting the remnants of burnt parchment with his tongue. It stung him and with a gagging croak he tried to wipe it off his flesh. Severus picked him up and using the sleeve of his robe to try and remove as much of the searing ash as possible, he stared at his trembling fingers.

He had assured both Madam Sprout and Professor Dumbledore that everything was alright back home. That he was only concerned about his fall out with Lucius. Now…he was scared.

His father was angry.

Tbc…

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A/N: It was briefly mentioned in book 5 that Harry saw Snape and a woman cowering in a corner from a man in Snape's memories. It was never officially stated, but I do believe that that was a reflection of Snape's childhood and that the shouting man was indeed Snape's father. So I've decided to build on that in this fic.

Read & Review, please.


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